The Finish Line Youth Foundation (FLYF) announced today that it raised a record $1.78 million through its annual holiday fundraising drive, which was held in Finish Line retail stores nationwide and online at finishline.com from Nov. 7 through Dec. 31.

"This is such an amazing accomplishment. With these donations, the Finish Line Youth Foundation will continue to help thousands of children in all of our communities," said Marty Posch, Executive Director of the Finish Line Youth Foundation. "We will be able to fund wheelchairs for kids in basketball league, build playgrounds and basketball courts and send children with cancer to camps, all because of the incredible generosity of our customers."

FLYF is a not-for-profit organization that strives to make a difference in the lives of children throughout the United States. FLYF provides financial support for community-based youth athletic programs as well as camps for economically disadvantaged kids and those with special needs. In 2011, FLYF awarded grants to a wide variety of non-profit organizations, including:

Beyond the Ball - Chicago

  • Funded the building of new basketball courts for the children of Little Village.

A Place Called Home - Los Angeles

  • Funded the expansion of a community center.

Camp Boggy Creek - Eusits, Florida

  • Funded camp scholarships for disabled children to attend Camp Boggy Creek.

Gleaners Food Bank - Indianapolis

  • Built a conveyor system for the "BackSacks" program to triple the output of food going to children in Indianapolis schools each week.

Girls on the Run - St. Louis

  • Funded scholarships for girls ages 5 through 13 to go through a health and fitness program based on nutrition and training to run their first 5k.

For more information about Finish Line or the Finish Line Youth Foundation, go to www.finishline.com/youthfoundation.

About The Finish Line, Inc.
The Finish Line, Inc. is a premium retailer of athletic shoes, apparel and accessories. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the company has two retail divisions - Finish Line, which operates 646 Finish Line brand stores in malls across the United States, and the Running Specialty Group, which operates 19 specialty running shops in seven states and the District of Columbia under The Running Company banner.

Finish Line stores employ more than 11,000 sneakerologists who help customers every day connect with their sport, their life and their style. Online shopping is available at www.finishline.com and mobile shopping is available at m.finishline.com. Follow Finish Line on Twitter at Twitter.com/FinishLine and "like" Finish Line on Facebook at Facebook.com/FinishLineUSA.

The Running Company stores carry a deep assortment of performance running shoes, apparel and accessories. Their trained experts advise everyone from beginners to advanced runners and provide free gait analysis to ensure the proper fit for each customer. The Running Company is tightly connected to its communities, hosting regular neighborhood group runs and sponsoring local races. More information on The Running Company can be found at www.therunningcompany.net.

The Finish Line, Inc.
Alex Yovanovich, Corporate Communications, 317-613-6714