Yoga relay marathon fundraiser set for Lake Zurich's Paulus Park
Lake Zurich's Paulus Park will be the scene of a yogi invasion - and we're not talking about 90-year-old New York Yankees Hall of Famer Berra.
Up to 250 participants are projected for an inaugural, 24-hour fundraising yoga relay marathon in late August at the park on Rand Road north of Route 22.
Holly Peckskamp's Love-olution Project will stage the yoga marathon. Proceeds will benefit Take A Stand, a nonprofit organization formed three years ago by Lake Zurich's Lindsey Dulian and four other women aimed at raising awareness about the easy availability of heroin and other drugs in the suburbs.
"Yoga is all about love, about self- observation," said Peckskamp, a former Grayslake resident who now lives in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
In addition to Peckskamp, Gurnee resident and certified yoga instructor Jodi Oughton-Schmidt is helping to organize the marathon. She said those interested in being part of the festivities won't need any experience and will be guided by professional teachers.
"Not only do you get to try it," Oughton-Schmidt said Friday, "but you also get to benefit a good cause."
Dulian said the relay will be a fun group activity with an important message.
"Loveolution is meant to bring people closer to each other and help people to put themselves in other people's shoes," Dulian said. "The point of the organization is to recognize that, no matter the struggle, everybody is important. The yoga relay is a fantastic event to reflect this mission."
Yogis will be on teams with enough members to cover 24 hours from noon Saturday, Aug. 29, to noon Sunday, Aug. 30. Relay participants will be allowed in more than one class.
Each member will be on a yoga mat for 50 minutes, followed by a 10-minute break before the next team member steps in. There will be 24 yoga classes in Paulus Park.
Organizers said event details, including signup information, are still being finalized.
Loveolution is in the process of receiving Internal Revenue Service nonprofit status, with a mission of helping to support adults and their families in times of crisis. Peckskamp, a yoga instructor, started the organization after she was diagnosed with leukemia.
Peckskamp said she received a bone-marrow transplant and that her leukemia is in remission. She said the overnight yoga relay will allow participants to help each other as they get tired.
Oughton-Schmidt said the yoga relay marathon likely will be similar to other charitable endeavors by requiring teams to raise a certain amount of money in advance. She acknowledged the quirkiness of the marathon may serve to attract participants.
Paulus Park came to Peckskamp's attention from an event organizer who's a Lake Zurich resident. Lake Zurich village board trustees approved a Paulus Park permit for the relay at a meeting May 4.
"It's just a beautiful park," she said, "and I couldn't imagine having (the relay) anyplace else."