Moro Performance: Vet-Mazing Race

Anthony Moro was matched with a service dog, Pablo, from 4 Paws for Ability in January of 2015. 

In June of 2015, Anthony and Lisa Moro opened up their gym together, Moro Performance, in Mequon, Wisconsin.

In September of that year, three months after opening, we decided we wanted to hold an annual fundraiser to give back to the veteran community. Choosing an organization that gave back to veterans made the most sense, given Coach Anthony’s service in the military. 

Our intern-turned-coach, Danni, came up with both the idea for the type of event and the name, ‘The Vet-Mazing Race,’ which is a play on the TV show the Amazing Race.

Being a fundraiser for veterans, we decided to hold it in November, on the Saturday that falls closest to Veteran’s Day. So, in 2015, we had about eight weeks to plan, organize, reach out to possible donors, find volunteers, and cross our fingers that all of this would work in a short amount of time. We surprised ourselves and not only pulled off an ultra-successful event, we raised $3,527 our first year with no prior experience doing something like this.

Each year the event has grown and the donations have increased. In 2016 we raised $5,125, in 2017 it was $7,003, and in 2018 we raised $8,000. To date, we have raised over $23,000, and this year we have a goal of $12,000 to help a veteran in need.