On Sunday, October 10, 2021, Team Reeve will take on the Bank of America Chicago Marathon! 2019 was a record-breaking year for Team Reeve Chicago, raising over $100,000 for paralysis research! We want to continue the momentum for 2021!

By Kelly Lamb, Manager, Team Reeve Endurance

Why Join Team Reeve?

My journey with Team Reeve has been more fulfilling than I could have ever imagined. My goal as the manager of Team Reeve is to provide an equally fulfilling experience for every individual who joins our cause.

In the summer of 2013, my boyfriend Jon David and I had just graduated college, started our first jobs, and embarked on a long-distance relationship. We were beginning our adult lives and excited for the future. In July of that year, Jon David sustained a spinal cord injury from diving into a shallow river leaving him a C4 quadriplegic. We were devastated and overwhelmed. The future seemed bleak and very limited.

I struggled to cope with Jon David’s injury and the reality of our new future from nearly 1,000 miles away. I was looking for any way I could tangibly contribute to his recovery. Enter Team Reeve. I watched the NYC Marathon and convinced myself I would run it for Jon David the following year. Full disclosure, I am not a runner. I had never completed a 5K before applying for Team Reeve, but I was committed to helping fund a cure for spinal cord injury.

After joining Team Reeve, I was introduced to the wonderful Coach Mark. He calmed my anxieties about the physical feat and fundraising challenge in front of me. Team Reeve and Coach Mark were there every step of the way for every question or doubt I had. The team and my commitment to Jon David helped me cross my first marathon finish line on November 2, 2014.

Although I don't love to run, I realized the power of joining Team Reeve. I was connected to a remarkable community experiencing the same challenges I was. The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation staff became our family, supporting us in ways we never imagined. Finally, I saw the application of my fundraising dollars in real-time to the advancements in spinal cord injury therapies and research. It felt selfish not to keep contributing to Team Reeve and working towards a cure.

Six marathons and over $100,000 fundraised later, here I am as the manager of Team Reeve. Joining the Reeve Foundation full-time has been the most rewarding gift. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to coach new Team Reeve athletes each year. I was a novice runner and fundraiser, but we are committed to every individual on our team and your success. We pride ourselves on the number of Team Reeve athletes, with or without a connection to paralysis, who return to our team each year.

Joining Team Reeve is like joining a family, and I hope you will consider joining our family.