Miles For Change

Five years ago, Marty Hogan, a Chicago-area dentist, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a rare form of leukemia. Typically known as “childhood leukemia,” the diagnosis is even rarer in adults. ALL was once thought of as a death sentence, but over time, much thanks to organizations like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the five-year survival rate has increased to about 90% (cancer.org). When diagnosed, Marty set a goal. To walk the son that his wife was pregnant with to...

This is the first episode in a multi-part series highlighting one of the groups that started it all, Team in Training. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is a global leader in the fight against cancer. The LLS funds blood cancer research that has helped significantly increased survival rates worldwide. Since 1949, the organization has invested over $1.5 billion in cancer drug and treatment research. Some of the therapies that have come from that research have extended into diseases other...

When Carey Pinkowski took the reigns of the Chicago Marathon in the early 1990s, there were only a few thousand people who hit the roads to pound 26.2 miles of pavement. Today, the race attracts tens of thousands vying for 45,000 spots in one of the six World Marathon Majors. Hear the story from Carey’s running roots to how he turned the sport into a lifelong career as the CEO of Chicago Event Management. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers...

For over 50 years, Special Olympics Chicago has provided opportunities for thousands of athletes living with intellectual disabilities. Their organization has provided a sustainable community for the athletes and their families while offering a wide variety of athletic play and competitive events all year round. You may know of their largest fundraiser of the year; the Polar Plunge North Avenue Beach. Every winter, thousands of people jump into the freezing waters of Lake Michigan, raising...

Girls On The Run is a program that empowers the next generation of women by using the power of running. Elementary and middle school-aged girls learn physical and social-emotional skills that help them face challenges as they grow up. The GOTR curriculum is research-based that focuses on the developmental milestones appropriate for the ages of each program; Girls On the Run (grades three through five) and Heart & Sole (grades six through eight). In This Episode: Jill Eid, Executive...

The Chicago Police Memorial Fund was started nearly two decades ago with a singular goal; to build a memorial to honor those fallen officers. Since that time, it has grown into so much more. It is now a foundation supporting CPD Goldstar Families. The CPD Goldstar Families represents all of the surviving family members of the fallen officers of the Chicago Police Department. At the time of recording in 2022, there were 595 Gold Stars on the wall of Public Safety Headquarters. Each star...

"It was always from the beginning about making sure ensuring no one had to go through cancer alone." - Stephanie Lieber, Executive Director, Imerman's Angels Through a very specific and unique matching process, Imerman Angels connect people who have lived with cancer at some point in their life to a newly diagnosed cancer patient. These “Mentor Angels” are cancer survivors and caregivers who have faced the same type of cancer and therefore can help guide a person through one of the...

Courtesy of PAWS Chicago The PAWS Chicago Community Outreach team is composed of five different programs, each working in tandem to address pet overpopulation and pet resource inequities in Chicago’s most underserved neighborhoods. * PAWS for Life - our door-to-door, relationship-building outreach program that removes barriers to spay/neuter and preventative care for pets. Since launching this program in 2014, we’ve provided free services to 17,000 pets in Englewood, West Englewood,...

Born in South Sudan, Michael Panther Mayen lost the ability to walk when he was just a child due to a severe illness. In 2018, he started Living With Hope, an organization providing wheelchairs and other assistive devices to people in Africa who otherwise wouldn’t have access to this equipment. Visit LivingWithHope.net to find out how you can get involved. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...

Since the late 1970s, the organization has hosted more than 19,000 pediatric cancer patients aged five to 19 at a sleep-away camp. Children in varying stages of their diagnosis and treatment are welcomed with a full staff of medical professionals on-site. For links to the people featured in this episode, visit milesforchangepodcast.com . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit milesforchange.substack.com

Dare2Tri specializes in adaptive sports. They have built an inclusive community that provides training and proper tools for people living with a physical disability or visual impairment to become endurance athletes. These individuals gain the confidence to achieve personal goals through participation in para-athletics. For links to the people featured in this episode, visit milesforchangepodcast.com . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or...

Miles For Change is a podcast series highlighting the stories behind why average men and women push their bodies to the limit by training for and running a marathon to raise funds for charity. During this first season, listeners will get an in-depth look into non-profits with running teams raising money while training to complete the Chicago Marathon on October 9, 2022. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...