Melanie Merola O'Donnell

The 15th and Final Year
Our labor of love has run its course. For 15 years we have poured our hearts and "soles" into bringing the Saratoga community a first-class race that honors the memory of our muse, Melanie Merola O'Donnell. With gratitude and pride for all that we have accomplished, The Melanie Foundation and The Saratoga Palio Race Committee decided to make 2020 the 15th and final year. We are forever grateful to our generous sponsors, amazing volunteers and loyal runners. We could not have done this without you. We know that Melanie smiles down on us and guides us to new adventures.

The Melanie Foundation was created in 2006 to honor the life and legacy of Melanie Merola O’Donnell, with the mission to foster support for mental health issues. Melanie lived a life of giving, focusing her career on relieving suffering inflicted by mental illness. Melanie died at the age of 33 while in the midst of doctoral studies in psychology. Her family and friends subsequently collaborated to bring The Melanie Foundation to life, with the initial goal of providing scholarships to people who had the best chance of extending Melanie’s legacy, graduate students in a mental health field.


The Melanie Foundation’s most significant fundraiser, The Saratoga Palio, became a signature fall event in Saratoga Springs. Its success helped The Melanie Foundation expand its support of aspiring mental health practitioners and to give back to Saratoga Springs – the community that gave us Melanie. Since the first year, The Melanie Foundation awarded a scholarship in her name to an outstanding post-graduate student in the field of mental health. Starting in 2009, a portion of funds raised each year were donated to local nonprofit organizations. Past recipients include Saratoga Bridges, the mental health unit of Saratoga Hospital, Franklin Community Center, World’s Window, Jake’s Help from Heaven, Saratoga WarHorse, Saratoga Center for the Family, Night Out for You, Shelters of Saratoga, The Senior Support Services of the Saratoga Senior Center, The Latino Community Advocacy Program, SNACpack and Wellspring.