(Full Disclosure: This article is about my daughter.)
Geneva native Caroline Stukel likes to run.
She also likes to help people.
In October, she will combine these passions by running the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on behalf of Chicago Hopes For Kids, a charitable organization based in Chicago that provides comprehensive support to Chicago students and families experiencing homelessness. This support takes the form of literacy support, homework help, cultural enrichment opportunities, field trips and personalized mentorship.
Stukel discovered Chicago Hopes after returning to Chicagoland after a year in Alaska. She volunteered to be a mentor and ended up spending several evenings a week in Englewood with those she calls “her favorite peeps.”
“It’s both heartwarming and heartbreaking to see what these kids go through and how they keep persevering,” she explains. “The optimism and hope they show is amazing – and inspiring.”
That sense of hope really hit home to Stukel when two of “her favorite peeps” came to her one day and expressed their intentions to become a scientist and an astronaut, respectively.
“I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that I have learned more about perseverance, resiliency and determination from these kids than anywhere else. I really admire them.”
Stukel is dedicating her marathon to fundraising for Chicago Hopes, which relies heavily on private donations for its funding. Anyone wishing to provide support can do so by clicking 2022 HOPES Hustlers – Chicago HOPES for Kids (flipcause.com).
More information on Chicago Hopes For Kids can be found at https://www.chicagohopesforkids.org/
