Fundraiser for Tony Worachek

Hi all,

In August, I lost my cousin to an overdose. 3 months before that, I lost one of my best friends, Tony Worachek. These men were fathers, husbands, sons and friends. Both my age. Both died from a preventable combination of mental health and substance abuse issues.

 

 

 

 

Since I don’t feel comfortable asking for money, I thought we’d have some fun with this. I’m not going to do a 5k. I’m going to do 20 of them, all at once. In January. In Wisconsin. At night. In the Kettle Moraine hills. With all my gear on my back. It’s the Frozen Otter. This race has one of the smallest finishing percentages of any race in America.

 

Frozen Otter

 

Now, I want you to bet against me with your wallet. 100 kilometers or around 64 miles. Please donate the amount you think I’ll finish. Or, for my frugal friends, how many toenails you think I’ll end with (starting with 8, btw).

 

In the final week in the hospital, Tony and I would just talk. He would mention every night that he just wanted to hike with his boys at Devil’s Lake. That’s it. No crazy bucket list, just to hike with his boys. Therefore, in his memory, I plan to donate 50% of the money raised to the Devil’s Lake State Park Interpretive Education Center in his name.

 

I also shouldn’t have been listening to the dying words of a 45yr old man, or mourn my cousin, so the other half is going to these organizations:

 

Discovery House, in Martinez, CA and Tellurian House, in Madison, WI (links provided below). These are the exact people who could have helped my cousin, and Tony.

 

Let’s have fun with this, bet against me and raise money for some great causes. Remember to love your family, love your friends, and love yourself.

 

Devil's Lake State Park Interpretive Ed Center

 

Tellurian House

 

Discovery House