Running Chicago Marathon to Fundraise for LAFD (& St. Jude)!

TL;DR: I'm running the Chicago Marathon to raise money for the brave men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department and my race sponsor, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. I would greatly appreciate any and all support—no donation is too small (or too large)!

On January 7th, the entire country watched as the Palisades Fire ignited and rapidly spread. Day after day, the flames raged on, leaving destruction in their wake. By January 31st, 24 days after the fire first started, CAL FIRE finally reported full containment. However, by then, nearly 25,000 acres had burned, almost 7,000 structures had been destroyed, multiple lives had been lost, and countless irreplaceable mementos were gone forever.

Like many who grew up on the very streets that were burning but no longer lived in the area, I felt helpless as I watched the devastation unfold. I saw people, including my father, abandon everything they owned and escape the flames with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. Other than constantly checking in with family and friends to ensure their safety and well-being, I didn’t know what else to do. But I knew I wanted to help the community that had given me so much. That’s when I came up with the idea of running the Chicago Marathon and fundraising for the very firefighters who risked their lives to save my hometown.

I quickly reached out to the closed marathon registration to ask if I could run on behalf of the Los Angeles Fire Department. I was told that all charity organizations had to be pre-approved and that I would need to find one already on their list. After sending out many cold emails to organizations, I finally found one that would accept me off their waitlist—St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. As a result, the first $2,100 I raise will be donated to St. Jude as my race entrance agreement. Then, anything I am fortunate enough to raise beyond that will go directly to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation.

Please join me in thanking the more than 5,000 firefighters who worked tirelessly to contain this horrific disaster. Any and all donations, shares, and/or words of encouragement are greatly appreciated!