Be The Boat - 2022 Run Fundraiser
Tax deductible
Be The Boat Fund History
Started by my family in 2016, the Hunter Quigley Coe Be The Boat Fund was named in honor of my brother and echoes a reference shared at his funeral Mass. While Hunter was not a religious person, the poem captures a lot about his life:
“And I saw the river over which every soul must pass
to reach the kingdom of heaven
and the name of that river was suffering;
and I saw a boat which carries souls across the river
and the name of that boat was love.”
Despite experiencing suffering himself, Hunter served as “the boat of love” to many and it is that instinct – to help without reservation – that we wished to honor. Hunter loved children, was an incredibly empathetic soul, loved the water, taught swim lessons, and appreciated the educational opportunities provided to him. It seemed only fitting to celebrate Hunter’s caring nature with the launch, on what would have been his 25th birthday, of the Be The Boat Fund.
Since 2016, Be The Boat has distributed nearly $275,000 in Hunter’s memory.
• 2016 and 2017
o Hephzibah Home (Oak Park, IL) – grant issued to provide swim and sailing lessons for children who’d been removed from their homes due to abuse/neglect
• 2018
o Hephzibah Home (Oak Park, IL) – grant issued to deliver pet/art therapy at Hephzibah
o Infant Welfare Society (Oak Park, IL) – grant issued to provide direct mental/behavioral health services identified in children at/below the poverty line during routine dental visits at The Children’s Clinic
• 2020
o Hephzibah and Infant Welfare Society – unrestricted grants issued to address COVID- associated needs
• 2021
o Hephzibah Home (Oak Park, IL) – grant issued to deliver art therapy at Hephzibah
o Infant Welfare Society (Oak Park, IL) – grant issued to provide direct mental/behavioral health services identified in children at/below the poverty line during routine dental visits at The Children’s Clinic
o Harmony Church (Chicago, IL) – grant issued to fund an intensive after-school tutoring program in the North Lawndale section of Chicago.
• 2022
o Hephzibah Home (Oak Park, IL) – grant issued to deliver art therapy at Hephzibah
o Harmony Church (Chicago, IL) – grant issued to fund an intensive after-school tutoring program in the North Lawndale section of Chicago.
The opportunity to change the trajectory of a child’s life with a well-timed intervention motivates our work.
Funding? Why Running?
In the wake of Hunter’s death, running became a comfort and it only seemed natural to merge my love of running with a remembrance of my brother. The catalyst event was a 50-miler in 2018 located high in the Colorado Rockies. Since then, I have participated in a number of races, varying from 50 miles to a 200-miler, with a preference for rugged mountain singletrack trails. For a peek into this process, please listen to an Outside Magazine podcast interview about my running in support of Be The Boat.
2022 Fundraiser?
Crazy Mountain Ultra, July 29 – 30, 2022
100 miles. 24,608 feet in elevation gain. Running at elevations up to 10,000 ft, the race will be a challenge but should make for some scenic views as it navigates through the Crazy Mountain Range in Southwest Montana.
Please join me virtually on this run:
• supporters will be provided my bib number if you want to track me on race days (yep, plural)!
• “like” the Be The Boat FB page and you’ll receive regular updates as wifi allows
For more info on Be The Boat, please visit www.betheboat.org.
Thank you for your support – can’t tell you what it means mid-run.
- Lawlor
Organizer
Lawlor Coe
Organizer
Bozeman, MT
Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.