This past April, GU Energy Labs’ philanthropic GU Gives program celebrated a historic first year of partnership with the Indigenous advocacy organization Rising Hearts. Last March, GU launched the special edition Raspberry Lemonade Energy Gel, with proceeds from its sale to benefit Rising Hearts’ Running on Native Lands initiative. GU is proud to have donated $30,000 to the organization in the first year alone, making it the brand’s most successful GU Gives Energy Gel to date.
“As we celebrate the success of our Raspberry Lemonade Energy Gels, it’s paramount to recognize the profound impact of the funds raised for Rising Hearts’ Running on Native Lands initiative,” Celia Camargo, Director of Community and Purpose at GU Energy Labs explains. “Our Gel, now a staple requested by race directors across the nation, not only offers great taste but also amplifies Rising Hearts’ message of being good relatives to the land. Each dollar raised directly contributes to advancing Rising Hearts’ critical work, promoting stewardship, protection, and respect for future generations.”
Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Whetstone, founder and organizer of Rising Hearts, adds: “Our main goal is to build and foster meaningful and sustainable relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. The kinship building with GU Energy Labs is a shining example of what it means to collaboratively work together, learn from each other and hold space for each other.”
In just its first year, Raspberry Lemonade skyrocketed into the top five flavors in GU’s lineup, signaling a strong year ahead and even greater financial support for Rising Hearts. Special edition 8-count boxes of the flavor will continue to feature the art of Indigenous runner and muralist Yatika Starr Fields (Osage, Muscogee, Cherokee). Find the flavor – and special edition 8-count boxes featuring Yatika Starr Fields’ original art – at your favorite local retailer or online at guenergy.com.
About GU Energy Labs
GU Energy Labs strives to help athletes to reach their highest potential with products that deliver the right nutrients, in the right amounts, at the right time. Since its founding in 1993, GU has been committed to increasing access to sport for all. To that end, GU Gives – the company’s philanthropic arm that focuses on uplifting underserved and underrepresented communities – supports organizations and initiatives centered around 3 pillars: physical movement, environmental stewardship, and food awareness. Headquartered in Berkeley, CA, GU Energy Labs produces all of its Energy Gels onsite, largely through sustainable solar power. Learn more at www.guenergy.com.
About Rising Hearts
Rising Hearts is an Indigenous led grassroots organization committed to the heart work in elevating Indigenous voices, promoting, and supporting intersectional collaborative efforts across all forms of movements in cultivating community with the goals of racial, social, climate and economic justice. Our primary focuses are to inform, elevate, mobilize, and organize through movement, strategic and targeted advocacy and programming, establishing collaborative kinships to help create a better, safer future, and environment for all relatives who inhabit this planet – past, present, and future. Learn more at www.risinghearts.org.
