Will Runs a Marathon to Support CIF

Hello Friends!

For those of you who may not have heard, I am running the Chicago Marathon this fall on Oct. 7th. This will be my first and likely only time running a marathon.

This commitment has been on my radar for a while. As of present day, I have run 2 half marathons, including completing one barely under an 8 min/mile pace. I won't even get into the specifics of how much dedication this takes, especially for having to wake up at 4am multiple times a week to squeeze in long distance training sessions before a full day at the office.

Why am I running this? Two Reasons.

Reason #1: Support North Chicago Area based charity "Center for Independent Futures."

I am participating in this marathon with a team of runners who collectively are supporting a charity local to Chicago, Center for Independent Futures. Located in Evanston, Illinois, the organization strives to support individuals with disabilities achieve fulfilling lives. This includes but is certainly not limited to helping achieve academic success in school, assist in finding affordable housing, building connections with support groups in local communities, and overall supporting prosperity in a career.  More can be found at their website which I have listed below. The site contains loads of information regarding specific activities of what they do around the Chicago area as well as future projects.

https://independentfutures.com/ 

Reason #2: Honoring my late older brother, Michael Meyers

Had I not been running for charity, this would be my only reason for doing this whole marathon journey. As many of you are aware, my older brother Michael was taken from this world far too soon in 2015. For those of you who knew us both, you always knew Michael was the runner in our immediate family (I preferred more stationary sports like Baseball and being a Soccer Keeper). If there was anyone in this family who was destined to run a marathon, it was to be him (though he never really mentioned ever doing one). With his departure, that task has now fallen to me, and through the last two years of running (including two half marathons), this journey will finally come to an end with this marathon.

Know that when donating, not only are you benefitting a fantastic charitable cause that will use your funds to help individuals from many backgrounds reap countless benefits, but you will also be helping keep high spirits as I finish this journey of great sentimental importance to myself and family!

Funding Options:

The team I am running with has set a minimum fundraising goal of $1000 per person running (we have roughly 11 other participants). I will not be opposed if we raise more though!

For individual donations, I am asking a minimum of $5 per person, but if you are feeling charitable, I'm not going to refuse if you donate more ;)

I am providing two ways to donate.

1st. GoFundMe

You are already here! If you've used GFM before, great! If not, please follow the directions as they display throughout the process. If you have difficulties, please ask.

2nd. Mailed in Donations

I'm aware not everyone likes attaching credit cards to websites they rarely use. For that reason, if you'd still like to donate, I am accepting cash & check donations as well.

Please make checks out to "Center for Independent Futures" make sure to write in the memo that this goes towards my efforts so they can account for team contribution!

Please mail to my Milwaukee Address below if you are doing cash/check mail-in:

Will Meyers
1626 N Prospect Ave. #901
Milwaukee, WI 53202

I will confirm with you when I receive your donation. As stated in the video, checks might take some time to be cashed as collections don't end until November 30th, and it is currently unclear when they would like donations turned in between now and then.

If you have any questions regarding anything related to this fundraiser, please reach out to me directly.

With my continued training backed by all of your support, I feel nothing can stop me from finishing!!

Best,

Will