The 19th annual Aon Step Up for Kids climb benefiting the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital is fast approaching, but it’s not too late to get involved. The Aon Step Up for Kids is an 80-floor stair climb that you can participate in as an individual or as part of a team to raise money for the kids of Lurie Children’s Hospital and their families. So far this year’s program has raised more than $141,000 and fundraising is still going strong.
Here’s the Who, When, Where and How of this incredible event:
WHO
- Step Up supports K.I.D.S.S. for Kids (Kindness Is Doing Something Special), a totally volunteer-run fundraising board that has raised more than $7 million since it started in 1991. Their efforts and funds benefit Lurie Children’s Department of Family Services, which works to support the emotional well-being of patients and their families through programs and support services that include Skylight TV, Art & Music Therapists, Child Life Specialists and School Services.
- Anyone can participate! With more than 2,500 participants each year, the event is meant to include people of all athletic abilities. Sprint to the top in under 30 or just enjoy the climb at your own pace. Minimum donation is $100 for an individual (children 12 and under are free).
WHEN & WHERE
- The climb is on Jan. 31 to the top of the Aon Center (200 E. Randolph St., Chicago). Welcome reception starts at 7:45 a.m. and first steps take off at 8 a.m. A great way to get active on a cold winter’s day!
HOW
- Get involved by signing up as an individual climber or get a group of friends and family together to create a team. Or if you already know a person or team who is participating, you can donate to support their climb — a great way to get involved if you can’t make it to the climb.
- When it comes to actually climbing those steps, Dr. Rebecca Carl of the Institute of Sports Medicine at Lurie Children’s has a few tips: “1. Stair climbing is an intense activity. Check in with your doctor to make sure this activity is a good fit for you, especially if you haven’t been exercising regularly. 2. Start off slow with short, light-intensity workouts and increase activity gradually. If running is part of the training, increase mileage by 10 percent per week. 3. Think about clothing for the event. For an indoor event, light breathable fabrics that can wick away perspiration are best.”
Here’s how two North Shore native’s give their support:
Moira (Mimi) Noonan of Deerfield is captaining her group, the Veterinary Specialty Center Team, for the fourth time this year. Over the years she has recruited from the Buffalo Grove-based Center as well as the community with last year’s team consisting of 15 steppers. Mimi has a very strong personal connection to Lurie Children’s, where two of her children were treated for different diseases. Sadly, in 2006, both died of their illnesses. Mimi participates in honor and memory of her two children as well as “in celebration of the many blessings that Lurie Children’s brought into their lives. I am grateful for the many nurses, doctors and staff who provided loving care during their too-short lives.”
Glenview’s Bob Kraft, captain of Team Top of the World since 2005, was initially interested in the 1,643 stair climb as a mid-winter challenge for himself. “Then I learned about all the good work Lurie Children’s does, so it’s been nice to do the climb and also fundraise for them,” Kraft says. Each year his son Josh and niece Sarah join him, along with a group of friends from the area, including Glenview neighbor Bob Krause, known as “Mr. Reliable,” Kraft says. Each year Kraft’s efforts raise several thousand dollars for the hospital. “When people hear that it benefits Lurie Children’s they are always enthusiastic — it doesn’t take a hard sell from me,” Kraft says.
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