The idea of supporting families who may not have the financial means for their child(ren) to participate in something as simple as running arose soon after the formation of Whisper Running. With a board aligned, a nonprofit was formed in August 2020, and as good of an idea as it was, sustaining the momentum proved harder than anticipated.
Fast forward to the fall of 2025, Nicholas Marty, a long-time participant of Whisper Running, decided he didn’t have enough to do between working the land on his parents property, training for and running ultra marathons, and being a full-time student at Washington State University, that he wanted to take the lead and return Whisper Community to its original state, and so he took the reins. Nicholas worked tirelessly to help recruit members for the Board of Directors, file paperwork with the IRS to ensure good standing, and last month, our first 990N was successfully processed!
In the words of former board member in 2019(ish) Peter Rosenkranz, Whisper Community is “about the kids.” More specifically, Whisper Community is a Vancouver, Washington-based 501(c)3 non-profit aiming to provide equitable access to youth running participation for athletes in Southwest Washington by helping families overcome financial barriers that inhibit participation.
Access to youth sport participation at any level should not come with financial barriers - we’re talking about children seeking play, albeit in a more structured form. And so, with this in mind, and behind the leg work of Nicholas The Great, and the commitment of our board, Whisper Community is here!
In addition to supporting a child’s desire to be part of a team sport, Whisper Community is the proud new host of Lake to Bay Relay & Ultramarathon, as well as the Halloween Dash Bash Open 5k event.
Click on the tab below to learn more about our mission and events, or to make a donation today.