Six months from today, America’s leaders will be on the run – for fun and a vital cause – at the ACLI Capital Challenge.
Dating back 40 years, the ACLI Capital Challenge road race has become an annual fixture in our nation’s capital. This year’s event is scheduled for Wednesday, September 29, at Anacostia Park in Washington D.C.
Each year, teams from the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the federal government, plus media organizations, compete in the three-mile road race. Funds raised from the ACLI Capital Challenge go to Junior Achievement USA to support its financial literacy programs for students.
Now more than ever, helping young people increase their financial knowledge is critically important. The tragic death of George Floyd last year prompted a long overdue re-examination of entrenched racial and socioeconomic inequities in America.
There are many causes for economic inequality including a discrepancy in access to financial education. Studies show that increased financial literacy and education can empower families, open doors and help close the racial wealth gap.
Through our partnership with Junior Achievement, life insurers help provide young adults with the tools they need to develop and bolster their financial proficiency for a lifetime.
The ACLI Capital Challenge has been held annually since 1981, except last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2001 due to the September 11 terrorist attacks.
The last time we got together in 2019, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) broke the long-standing ACLI Capital Challenge record for the fastest female senator. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.) was the fastest member of Congress for the third year in a row. Sen. Sinema’s team was the fastest Senate squad, while Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Pa.) had the fastest House team. And Brett Kavanaugh ran in his first ACLI Capital Challenge as a Supreme Court justice, after nine races as a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals judge.
We hope they all return in September. Plus, we hope to see many new members of Congress, as well as participants from the Biden Administration, the judiciary and the media.
We know a lot can happen in six months. That’s why race organizers are closely monitoring guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and local public health officials regarding COVID-19.
We are extremely hopeful that we will be able to resume this grand Washington tradition six months from today.
Susan K. Neely was President and CEO of the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), the nation’s leading trade association determined to help families live better lives by achieving financial security and certainty. As president and CEO, Neely drove public policy and advocacy on behalf of ACLI’s member companies that represent 93 percent of industry assets and serve 90 million families. She is CEO Emeritus through December, 2024.
