Join Team Imerman Angels in our biggest race of the year, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

In 2012, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon sold out in six days.  Register today as a Team Imerman Angels athlete.  As one of the World Marathon Majors, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a premier race for elite runners.  Chicago is also a great choice for a first-time marathoner.  It is a fast and flat course with over 1.7 million spectators to keep you motivated as you run through 29 of Chicago’s great neighborhoods.  On Sunday, October 13, 45,000 runners from all 50 states and more than 100 countries will set out to accomplish this big goal.

Benefits for our Chicago Marathon runners include:

Team Membership in all 2013 Events

• A Team Imerman Angels tech shirt or t-shirt
• A personalized fundraising page with support
• Complimentary marathon training with CARA (Chicago Area Runners Association)
• Access to Chicago Marathon specific events such as our pre-race Pasta Dinner & Post-Race Bash
• The knowledge that all money raised will help provide 1-on-1 support to cancer fighters, survivors, and caregivers

All interested runners are encouraged to register for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon when registration opens on February 19th at 12:00pm CST.  This race will sell out quickly this year.

The cancer community is full of stories of fighters that overcome even the greatest challenges, and our Programs Manager, Jemma, is no exception.  First diagnosed with cancer at the age of 23, and again for the second time at 24, Jemma rose to the challenge and beat both by the age of 25.  You could say she was her own “healer” in the process, using her own stem cells to save her life through an Autologus Stem Cell Transplant.

Her battle left her stronger, not weaker, which is clear to see through her previous work.  She has dedicated her life to cancer advocacy. Jemma began her work as a volunteer with the American Cancer Society for 9 years.  There she has contributed in several ways from bringing passion to the organization through meeting with political leaders about cancer issues to speaking at various events.  A champion for life, Jemma confided that the organization was meaningful enough to her that she wrote them into her will.

In 2007, Jemma met Jonny at an Imerman Angels event, and the rest is history!  She became a Mentor Angel in 2009, sharing her experience with other cancer fighters through 1-on-1 support relationships, then became a full time staff member in 2011. Managing 6-12 volunteers and staff members, she works around the clock to promote the mission of Imerman Angels while doing her best to give back to the cancer community.

Like we find with many of the cancer survivors in our community, strength, courage, and perseverance seem to be written into Jemma’s DNA. When she is not spending time with her 12 year old son, who she raises as a single parent, she enjoys staying active. 14,000 mountain climbs, 2 half marathons, 2 sprint triathlons, 3 stair climbs, multiple running competitions, whitewater kayaking and CrossFit are just a few things that Jemma has already accomplished.

Even though we are well into the New Year, it is still not too late to start your New Year’s resolutions. You have plenty of time to make 2012 a year of living healthy and happy. Here are a few steps you can take to get healthy and stay healthy!

1. Protect yourself from the sun: While we are still enduring the chilly winter weather, this precaution may have slipped your mind. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer and the most preventable. ALWAYS wear sunscreen in the summer, especially between 10a.m. and 4p.m. when the sun is the hottest!
2. Add 30 minutes of exercise to your day: Whether you go for a walk around the park with your dog, or take a yoga class with a friend, adding exercise to your daily routine can help reduce your risk of cancer. Exercising helps to maintain a healthier weight which lowers your risk of cancers such as prostate, lung and kidney.  Physical activity alone may lower risks of breast and colon cancer.
3. Eat your fruits and vegetables: We know you hear this all the time, but that’s because it’s true! Any doctor will tell you that by eating more fruits and veggies, and lowering your intake of red meat, salts, and sugary foods will help to reduce your risk.
4. Early Detection: We are lucky to have technology that will detect cancer in its earliest stages.  Regular self-exams and screening can detect multiple types of cancer, increasing the success of treatment.  
5. Cut back on alcohol: It is ok to drink in moderation, but consuming alcohol regularly in large amounts can increase your risk of cancer such as: breast, liver, colon, and kidney. While wine contains good antioxidants, you can find the same benefits in grapes as an alternative!  

Resources: Mayoclinic http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer-prevention/CA00024

Laurie Grossinger, Gary Grossinger, Brian Weinberg, Ron Stone, Jonny Imerman

Imerman Angels once again partnered with Chicago fashion house AKIRA to host the 8^th Annual Garden of Even Fashion Show: Hall of Mirrors, on Sunday, October 2- kicking off Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Grossinger City Autoplex, a state-of-the-art 400,000 square-foot space in Lincoln Park, served as an industrial-chic backdrop for AKIRA’s newest crop of metallic minidresses, shiny blazers, and textured blouses. The gritty glam runway attracted over 3,000 guests who were treated to exciting music from DJ Madrid, AKIRA pop-up shops featuring their most stylish merchandise, live break dancers, and drinks and hors d’oeuvres from the city’s hottest eateries. The night continued as fashion hit the streets for an exclusive afterparty held at Japonais.

The clothing & footwear sponsors who made the night possible included: Wolverine, William Rast, PF Flyers, Original Penguin, AKIRA Black Label, Ben Sherman, Michael Antonio, ZiGi NY, and Jeffrey Campbell.  The food and beverage sponsors who generously donated their services for the event included: N9NE Steakhouse, Prasino, Epic, Burger Bar, Barn & Company, Moe’s Cantina, Dos Diablos, 4Rebels, Market, Cabot Creamery, LUNDA, Goose Island, Vitaminwater, Fuze, popchips, and Pirate’s Booty. Upstaging graciously provided the lighting for the show and the Bartenders Group donated bartending staff for the event.

Proceeds from the event go toward our mission to connect cancer fighters with survivors to enable 1-on-1 support.

Core Value # 3: Never let fundraising distract us from our mission
Of course we graciously and gladly accept donations! However, we believe it’s most important to dedicate our time, energy, and resources to our mission.

At Imerman Angels, we want to stay focused on what’s really important in the work that we do: making connections. We’re able to do this with help from fantastic supporters, like our friends at AKTA Web Studio, who recently donated the proceeds from a trivia night to benefit personalized 1-on-1 cancer support.

Below is a message written by Pascale from AKTA:

“How much can something intangible like hope, faith or optimism be worth?  For a cancer patient, these can be invaluable–life saving even. Imerman Angels is an inspiring organization that wants to make these intangibles procurable for cancer patients.  John Roa, head wizard at AKTA web studio, has witnessed this first-hand as his family member faced the fight against duodenal cancer years ago and will never forget the impact a social network, mentor and friends made.  All over the world individuals have to fight the horrors of cancer, but Imerman Angels ensures they won’t have to go at it alone.

We are a UX/UI strategy and design startup company based in Chicago and have been blown away on so many occasions by how such a huge place can seem so small.  Everyone is always so ready and willing to lend a hand (or two), share experiences, offer help, create connections and come together.  We decided it was time to give back to the community, so we invited a subset of Chicago’s tech and web thought leaders and friends to join us in a friendly game of trivia. Our only hope was to fill a room with great people, educate them about an irreplaceable cause and have fun.  With every attendee’s donation matched by AKTA, a fun night of trivia helped to ensure that the Imerman Angels service remains completely free to those in need–we LOVE that.

Thanks to everyone who came out to support the cause and thanks to Imerman Angels for being so fantabulous to coordinate with.  We hope this is the first of many Pascale and AKTA team.”

We’re so happy to have had the opportunity to work together with AKTA and are thankful for their continued support!

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