RaceTrac’s Melanie Isbill on Building a Partnership That Goes beyond Fundraising

Since 2011, RaceTrac has partnered with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), helping raise more than $10 million to accelerate research and advance better treatments for Parkinson’s disease (PD). But for Melanie Isbill, RaceTrac’s President of Convenience Retail, the longstanding collaboration with MJFF represents far more than a fundraising campaign. 

Through community events, in-store giving and a deeply personal commitment to the cause, this effort has become woven into RaceTrac’s culture — and into the lives of employees, guests and families impacted by Parkinson’s. 

MJFF: RaceTrac has partnered with MJFF for 15 years. What has made the relationship so meaningful and authentic while also delivering value for the business? 

Melanie: RaceTrac’s partnership with MJFF has always been rooted in something deeply personal for my family and for RaceTrac. PD touched our lives directly through our founder, my grandfather Carl Bolch Sr., and our longtime CEO and Chairman Emeritus, my father Carl Bolch, Jr., who were both Parkinson’s patients. 

For us, authenticity starts with alignment. MJFF’s focus on accelerating research and delivering real progress has consistently aligned with our desire to make a meaningful impact. Over time, this partnership has become part of who we are as a company. When something matters this much, you don’t move on. You go deeper. 

From a business standpoint, purpose works best when it strengthens trust. When our guests see us consistently supporting a cause we care deeply about, it reinforces who RaceTrac is in their everyday lives. That trust matters, and over time it builds loyalty in a way traditional marketing simply can’t replicate. 

MJFF: RaceTrac has supported MJFF from the Run for Research 5K to in-store fundraising campaigns. Why has that broad engagement been so important? 

Melanie: We think a lot about accessibility and inclusion when determining our fundraisers. Not everyone can run a 5K, but many can walk it, and almost everyone can add a dollar or buy a cup of coffee. Creating multiple entry points allows people to engage in ways that fit their lives. 

That’s what makes collective giving so powerful. Those small actions add up quickly and meaningfully, and they create opportunities for guests, employees and communities to feel connected to something bigger than themselves. 

At the same time, Parkinson’s can be an isolating disease for patients, caregivers and families. Events like Run for Research give people a place to show up together and feel seen, supported and reminded that they’re not alone, while our in-store campaigns make it easy to participate in everyday moments. 

MJFF: RaceTrac employees and guests play a central role in these efforts. Are there any moments or stories that have especially stayed with you? 

Melanie: There have been many moments over the years, but two in particular have stayed with me because they capture the impact of this work from very different perspectives.  

One was when a team member I hired told me they chose RaceTrac partly because of our support of MJFF. Later, I met their family at the Run for Research, including their father, who was living with Parkinson’s. When I shook his hand, it brought the impact of what we do into sharp focus for me. I saw how our commitment touched not just my family, but many families across generations in deeply personal ways. 

Another moment came unexpectedly while I was shopping and struck up a conversation with a local business owner. When he learned I worked for RaceTrac, he shared that he intentionally chooses RaceTrac because of our support for MJFF. Parkinson’s runs in his family, and he told me how much it mattered that a company he interacted with regularly would stand behind a cause so personal to him. 

Those moments are reminders that our impact extends far beyond fundraising totals. 

MJFF: RaceTrac recently surpassed $10 million raised for Parkinson’s research. What does that milestone represent, and how does this reflect your father, Carl’s, remarkable legacy? 

Melanie: Reaching $10 million is a moment of deep gratitude. It represents thousands of small decisions made by guests, employees and partners who chose to care and to act. For the RaceTrac community, it’s proof that long-term commitment works and that real progress becomes possible when people come together around a shared purpose.  

My father believed deeply in doing the right thing even when it wasn’t easy and in using success to lift others. He understood that businesses are part of a broader community and that leadership comes with responsibility. Our partnership with MJFF is a direct extension of that philosophy. More than anything, I think my father would be moved by the fact that this effort has brought people together — patients, caregivers, employees and guests — around hope and progress. 

MJFF: Looking ahead, what are your hopes for the future of RaceTrac’s partnership with MJFF — and for progress in Parkinson’s research more broadly? 

Melanie: My hope is that we continue building on what we’ve started: finding new ways to engage our guests, supporting MJFF’s groundbreaking work and staying focused on accelerating progress toward better treatments and, ultimately, a cure. Being part of that momentum alongside MJFF is something RaceTrac is deeply committed to for the long term.