I have been remiss in updating you on the Chicago Marathon fundraiser.  Please excuse my tardiness, but allow me to the opportunity to tell you about this fun, gratifying experience!

Mark participated in his first marathon in over 20 years.  He collected a group of friends, from all over the world, to run the marathon with him and, at the same time, raise money for the CAM FUND. Mark was diligent in his training, and even more diligent in his efforts to collect pledges.  Mark, and the CAM FUND running team, collected $25,385.  Then, much to our surprise, Mark’s employer, Molex Incorporated, decided to match the pledges, for a grand total of $50,770.

Mark finished the race in 4 hours 49 minutes!  May I say that this was a major feat for Mark, and I, for one, am EXTREMELY proud of his accomplishment!   Mark’s inspiration, during the entire race, was Caiden.  Mark and I are certain that our precious, beautiful little Caiden pushed his Papa to the finish line!

While Mark was running the race, I was volunteering my time during the race.  It was my extreme honor and pleasure to pass out water to all the runners and attempt to motivate them as they ran past our station.  May I extend my personal admiration for the accomplishment of all of these runners….they are all winners in my mind!

Here are a couple pictures of our volunteer station, sponsored by Molex Incorporated.  There were about 250 volunteers.  It was only a cup of water, but to a marathon runner this small gesture is his/her lifeline.  Thank you to Marion (my new friend from Germany) and Chris (my precious Michigan friend) for making this day even more fun!!