New Partnership for Chicago Chapter

Excited to announce, Eileen Rowan, will be working with the Chicago Chapter and their medal gifting efforts.  Eileen has been part of the running community for a while and read the Runner's World article about M4M and wanted to help.  She already has two events in the works!  Palos Heights Half Marathon where there will be a M4M table and Relay for Life in July.   Welcome aboard Eileen!

M4M Central Illinois received over 50 marathon finisher medals from super runner John Wayne Lui. What's incredible is he ran them all in 2011! That's right 52 marathons in a year and John is fast too (3:15-3:30)! With only 7 states remaining, looks like he will become a 50 State Marathon Finisher in 2012. On behalf of everyone at M4M, thanks John Wayne Lui! See you in Little Rock!

Goofy!!!

We are really lucky to have awesome donors to our charity. I have 3 Goofy Medals i have been holding onto for just the right people. To get a Goofy Disney race medal, you run a half and full marathon in two days!

So, when i got to know Mya from my son's school and learned her favorite character was goofy, i knew i have found an extremely worthy recipient. Mya is blind along with other disabilities and is a fighter. She has an aid that helps her through public school and is such a sweet spirit. The medal has great grooves and detail which she loved to feel and like the silky ribbon! I was really grateful to be able to present this to her.

*Picture: mya with her school aid.

Jeff Stauffer, Mid-America Advertising (M4M Central IL major sponsor) helped present 15yr old Aric with a M4M medal last Thursday. Mid-America also gifted seats to the Cardinals vs Brewers home game yesterday and limo ride to/from St. Louis!! Aric was diagnosed with Stage III Non-Hodgkins Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma in June and has demonstrated true mettle in facing this challenge.

Dan Snow Receives First Medal from Japan

Scott Dahl Medals-Mettle

Dan Snow wants what any young man in his twenties wants: independence. Habitat for Humanity helped him with that wish and M4M recognized the race he's been running with Muscular Dystrophy and his road to home ownership. The medal presented to Dan was from the Tango 100k - one of over 150 + medals received from Japan's running community & Yoshiko Jo.

The 8,958 miles the Tango 100k medal traveled to Dan's new home truly symbolizes his 4-year race to home ownership and living with MD.

Thanks again to our running friends in Japan!

Japan Runners Gift 150+ medals

Some of the 150 + medals Yoshiko Jo collected from Japan's running community during her summer visit. More details to follow including the first medal from this donation presented yesterday to a young man with MD living his life to the fullest! A big Thanks to our Japanese running friends!!

Mercy Home for Boys

Chicago Chapter did a 60 medal presentation to the Mercy Home for Boys. The medals were presented to the Director of Special Events who is going to use the medals for special accomplishments such as: completing internships, sports related achievements and academics. These children have gone through many life challenges already. Some of them have both parents incarcerated or gone, were sold into prostitution, had previous gang activity and/or are complete orphans. Mercy Home's goal is to provide these children with a safe haven, have them graduate high school and hopefully on to secondary education. I was really grateful for the opportunity to work with them and to have these medals as a motivation to keep these boys focused on their goals.