It’s marathon season in Chattanooga, friends, and the LEO Events team laced up for something greater than a finish line. This year, we’re proud to run in support of the ALS Association in memory of former Tennessee State Representative Gerald McCormick, who passed away in December 2025 after a courageous battle with ALS.
LEO Chattanooga’s Office Manager and family friend of the McCormicks, Miriam Blanton, said she is proud to help organize this effort honoring someone who meant a great deal to her. “Gerald was an incredible father to Scottie and Cooper – good friends of mine – and a person whose strength, service, and love left a lasting impact on everyone who knew him.”
Racing with Purpose
ALS is a devastating disease and a diagnosis that changes everything for families in an instant. The ALS Association, which our team has chosen to support through this effort, works tirelessly to provide care and resources for those living with ALS and their loved ones, while advancing critical research in pursuit of a cure. It’s an organization devoted to meaningful, life-changing work and one deeply deserving of support from our community.
Chattanooga Marathon weekend took place March 28th and 29th, and, in true LEO fashion, we didn’t just showing up; we’re all in and committed to making a difference. To make each gift go even further, LEO is matched every donation, dollar for dollar, doubling the impact of our overall contribution. Every step we took on race day represented not just miles logged in training, but hope, remembrance, and action.
Last year, several team members from LEO’s Chattanooga office participated in the race weekend, raising money for Emily’s Power for a Cure, a local foundation that supported our own, Manager of Event Operations Jordan Bowen, through an unimaginably difficult time in her life when her daughter Ella battled Neuroblastoma. This year, we doubled down, bringing team members in from our Nashville and Memphis offices to Chattanooga to be part of the action.
“Running the Chattanooga Marathon was already going to be meaningful, but choosing to raise funds last year for a nonprofit that supported my daughter during one of the hardest seasons of my life made it incredibly emotional in the best way,” Jordan Bowen said. “More than a decade ago, they showed up for us when we truly needed it, and I always promised myself that one day I would find a way to give back.”
We’re continuing in that spirit of giving back again for 2026. A dozen LEOs signed up to run this year and each team member committed to raising a minimum of $250 toward our collective goal. Whether it’s $5, $20, or showing up to cheer on our runners on race day, every gesture of support helps us make a difference and builds community. Through our combined efforts, LEO raised over $10,000 in donations for the association.
Beyond the Run
At LEO Events, we believe in the power of showing up. Showing up for our clients, for our community, and for one another. This mentality serves as the foundation for our longstanding LEO Gives initiative, driven by causes we believe in, woven into the fabric of this business, and giving us ongoing opportunities to support the communities in which we work and live.
LEO’s participation in the Chattanooga Marathon is a testament to who we are: a team that works hard, celebrates, and rallies – full force – around causes that matter. We’re honored to run (and fundraise) in Gerald’s memory. And we’re grateful for the opportunity to turn miles into momentum for families facing ALS. Thank you for supporting our team — and for helping us continue Gerald’s legacy of strength, service, and love, one step at a time.
Want to support? Donate through the link below.
