Page 27 - June2020 FOP Magazine

Gary mapped out an entire event course around her neigh- borhood that team members ran in intervals to adhere to social distancing guidelines. This year was Gary’s second time partici- pating, and she felt that her team did a stellar job by the conclu- sion of their three-hour event.
“It was nice to be able to see and wave to everyone. It wasn’t the same, but it was nicely done,” Gary noted. “We were able to watch in the morning with the opening ceremonies, so it was nice to feel like the event wasn’t a total loss. It’s just great to have seen that many people there supporting it, even this year when it was changed.”
Mobilizing 7,000 participants is no small feat, which is why Bridget Schuda, the development and communications officer for the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation and lead organiz- er of this year’s Run to Remember, realized in early March that the event would look different for 2020. Online registration and mail-in race were with a directive for participants to practice so- cial distancing to make the day a success.
“We needed to make sure everybody was safe, and that was be- fore the stay-at-home order had even gone into effect,” Schuda recalled. “This year doing it virtually, just seeing the amount of people who didn’t give up on the foundation and didn’t walk away, warms my heart. People are struggling themselves, but they still find a way to support fallen officers.”
A number of participants for the Run to Remember event do not have personal ties to officers, which was the case of George Velcich and his wife, Barb. Though Velcich was a prosecutor on the Chicago Police Board, a nine-member panel that adjudicates disciplinary proceedings against Chicago law enforcement offi- cers, he participated in the event this year solely because he be- lieves in the fundraising cause.
“I’ve always felt this strong concern for the welfare of the po- lice officers,” Velcich affirmed regarding his and his wife’s par-
ticipation. “Police officers and their families still need the good work that the foundation does.”
And one individual who knows the good work of the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation is Chaplain Kimberly Lewis-Davis, a Chicago Police Officer who shared this year’s invocation virtu- ally as part of the opening ceremonies.
When Kelly Gary’s husband Conrad was lost in the line of duty, Davis was present as everything was unfolding in the 5th District. She has the attendance sheet from Conrad and his partner’s last day at work hanging on a cork board in her office and frequently glances at it as a reminder of the importance of foundations that support the families of fallen officers.
“That’s one way that I practice being mindful every day,” Davis conveyed. “My husband and I are both CPD, so being mindful that every day we put on the uniform, there is a legacy before us that has a deeper depth and breadth to it.”
And this year, as individuals mobilized for the Run to Remem- ber event across social media, Davis felt that the mission of the fundraising was receiving unprecedented visibility.
“This year especially, it was like, ‘Wow, this is really massive,’” Davis shared. “It’s not just law enforcement or law enforcement families, it’s lots of different people across the country who par- ticipated. There are civilians who are committed, which is really meaningful.”
And the run goes on, day by day, for all the remembered offi- cers’ loved ones throughout the fundraising event.
As individuals like Ibarra and her K-9 Rozi completed the run and posted their journeys to Instagram, the momentum sur- rounding Run to Remember only amplified, poising the event’s participation to increase for next year’s race.
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