Walk to benefit Hephzibah Children's Association
Each weekend thousands of people take to the streets of our communities, walking and running to raise money for charities. Every one of them has found a cause to believe in, a bit of hope through helping. And every one of them has a reason for being there.
Today, Rebecca Majewski shares her story of support for Hephzibah Children's Association and the Hoof It for Hephzibah 5K.
I met my niece, Jessica, when she was 2½l years old. Twenty some years later, she's my inspiration for running in the Hoof It for Hephzibah 5K Race and Kids Race on Memorial Day in Glen Ellyn.
The race benefits Hephzibah Children's Association in Oak Park, a nonprofit agency that caters to family and children through a variety of services, including foster care, adoption, day care and - near and dear to my heart - by providing a home for severely abused children. Adopted by my brother and sister-in-law as a toddler, Jessica was bright, funny and precocious - a spitfire. But she had a rough ride through childhood because of the abuse she suffered before she was adopted, abuse she didn't even remember but caused her to switch from happy to out-of-control in a split second.
When Jessica came to live with my brother's family, we all fell in love with her. It was quickly apparent that she had had a difficult first few years. The first time my husband met her, she gave him a big hug, then kicked him in the shin. My brother and his family weren't given Jessica's background and had no training to identify signs of attachment disorder and other consequences of abuse. She was a bright student and gifted athlete, but as a teen she began skipping school and using drugs. My brother's family did everything they could - she lived for a while in a wonderful residential group home very much like Hephzibah - and thanks to all of the support and help she received from many people, she's now a healthy and happy adult. She is working full time as a hair stylist and is attending college part time, working on her bachelor's degree. Best of all, she is a loving mother to her small son, Chance.
So it's Jessica I think of when I run for the kids who now are helped by Hephzibah. I know that the cycle of abuse can be broken, and I know the wonderful things Hephzibah does for abused children. Hephzibah's diagnostic program, the only one of its kind in Illinois, provides services to children throughout the state, including those from DuPage County.
I know firsthand about Hephzibah because I am a member of the Hephzibah Western Suburban Auxiliary. My family and I moved to Wheaton more than three years ago. A friend invited me to an auxiliary meeting at Hephzibah Home, a wonderful, warm, loving place in Oak Park, and I knew I wanted to do what I could for the organization. Throughout the years, I have volunteered with various organizations to help children in need. I recognized that Hephzibah was one of those wonderful places that helps struggling children, and I feel that any small way I can give to Hephzibah to help a hurting child, I am more than happy to do - just as so many people helped Jessica through the years.
This is my second year participating in Hoof It for Hephzibah, and my husband, two sons and daughter participate in the event as well. We look at the race as a great way to kick off the summer. We love that it's open to anyone who wants to walk, run, toddle - even be pushed in a stroller.
Preregister by visiting signmeupsports.com. If you don't have your own personal reason to participate, do it for Jessica.
If you go
What: Ninth annual Hoof It for Hephzibah 5K race and family walk
Why: Proceeds benefit Hephzibah Children's Association, a nonprofit that provides foster care, adoption and other family services
When: Registration at 7 a.m. Monday, May 25; 5K at 8 a.m.; kids 50-meter dash and quarter-mile run begin at 9:30 a.m.
Where: Newton Park, Fairview Avenue between Park Boulevard and Bryant Avenue, Glen Ellyn
Cost: $25 for 5K; $15 for kids races
Info: (630) 858-3023, tinabhutchinson@aol.com or signmeupsports.com