Breaking Records for a Cause

An Aurora man is currently trying to break a Guinness World Record.  George Hood is attempting to ride a stationary bike for 200 hours!

The former marine rides to raise money for charities.  Over the last four years, he's broken the world record twice and raised more than $100,000.  

Now, he's going for the record again and riding longer than ever before to help out a friend.

Take a look: 

You can show your support by donating to the Gunnar Hotchkin Memorial Fund or by visiting George during his ride at Urban Tri Gear in Burr Ridge.  He's expected to reach his goal on Monday!  

You can also watch him live online as he tries to break the current world record: 

Inspired Student Motivates

Guadalupe Barragan started her freshman year at Elgin High School at a sixth grade math level. Now as a senior, she's taking AP calculus!

Her story is highlighted in a Trib Local article. It says she enrolled in summer courses and stayed after school for extra help to get ahead. But her main inspiration was her teacher, Brian Karsabaek. Barragan says he's the one who helped her realize her own potential.

The best part of the story, is that Barragan's hard work is motivating other struggling students to do the same:

"Her perseverance even inspired the class behind her to make the same leap. The year after she took the summer geometry class, 20 other students signed up to do the same, including Marlene Escobar and Olivia Sirichandeng, who are now juniors taking pre-calculus.

The girls said they heard Barragan’s story as freshmen and were impressed that she proved herself when some doubted her."

Check out the full article here: Calculus: Hard work, inspiring teacher

Penguin Project

Take a look at this heartwarming story that was on WGN-TV! It's about an organization called the Penguin Project that gives kids with disabilities the opportunity to star in musical productions on stage.

Click here to find more information on the Penguin Project

Calling Inspiring Kids!

The circus is calling out for inspiring kids in the Chicago area! Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey wants to honor kids who give back to their communities.

Head online to nominate any kid between the ages of 6 and 14 until October 29. Three winners will be chosen from the Chicago area to receive $500 to $1,000 for future service projects.

I can't wait to see who wins! There are a ton of kids doing great things out there. Be sure to nominate any you know!!

"I believe this world is in great measure what we choose to make it."

-P.T. Barnum

Marathon: Crazy Inspiring

I've always thought marathon runners were crazy. There's just something inhuman about running 26.2 miles. With that said, I've also always thought there's something incredibly inspiring about the people who take on the challenge.

I love to hear their stories of determination and triumph. Over the last couple of days, I have read and watched some pretty inspiring stories about people in our area who laced up their shoes with a purpose on Sunday. I've posted links to just a few of my favorites below. Congrats to all you "crazy inspiring" runners out there!

Merri Lazenby

"The opportunity to share what one normal everyday Mom and nurse can do to make the world a better place is huge."

We highlighted Lazenby on this website in January after the nurse decided to donate her kidney to a security guard at Delnor Hospital in Geneva (LINK: Nurse Donates Kidney). Now she's continuing to inspire us! She decided to run the marathon for the first time this year to raise funds for Cal's Angels, which provides support to families of cancer patients. You can hear more of Lazenby's story in her interview with WBBM 780: First-Time Marathoner Has Inspirational Story

William Cooper

"I need to show that what I'm doing isn't really much compared to what they're going through."

This Northwestern University sophomore ran in his first marathon to raise money and awareness for an organization called Inheritance of Hope. It serves children and families caring for a parent with a terminal illness. Kristen and Deric Milligan (Cooper's aunt and uncle) founded the organization after Kristen was diagnosed with liver cancer. Kristen is currently recovering for surgery and continuing to fight her cancer. Cooper raised $1,000 to help families going through similar situations. Read more about his story here: Run With William

E.J. Scott

"I'm trying to raise money for the eye disease that is taking away my sight."

This Chicago improv comic is losing his sight due to a rare eye disease called choroideremia. He has less than 20% of vision in each eye and is legally blind. He decided to start running to raise awareness and raise some money for the Choroideremia Research Foundation. He ran on Sunday blindfolded to call attention to his cause and to protect his sensitive eyes from the sunlight. To read more about Scott's story and his connection to the HBO show "True Blood" check out this article by the Chicago Tribune: Chicago comic running blindfolded to shed light

Mike Stanton

"I am inspired by the way Danny lived, and I look forward to completing the race with Danny and Epilepsy awareness in my heart."

This Edgebrook father decided to run the marathon for his son, Danny. In December, 4-year-old Danny passed away in his sleep of a seizure. His parents started the Danny Did Foundation to help prevent deaths caused by seizures. Read more about Stanton's journey in a Sun-Times article from last month: Dad runs to save other families' kids


There are so many inspiring stories out there from the marathon! If you know of someone who ran the race that should be recognized, share their story below!

Know Your Roads

I'm going off on a bit of a tangent today, to bring you the most inspiring document you'll ever read as a Chicagoan!

OK, that's a bit of a stretch. It's not quite "inspiring", but it's definitely a must see if you live in the Chicago area. I just wanted an excuse to share it with you, so I called it inspiring:)

As many of you know, I do the traffic reports for Chicago Public Radio. Over the last couple of years, I've gotten a lot of questions about the roadways and the traffic lingo reporters use. I decided to create a pdf detailing the Chicago roads with maps and full descriptions of what I'm talking about. You can take a look at the full file below or even download it to your own computer. I hope you find it helpful!!


Decoding Chicago Traffic Reports

Organist Says Goodbye

On Sunday, a long line formed outside the organists door at US Cellular Field. White Sox fans lined up to say goodbye to Nancy Faust, who decided to retire after 41 years as the organist at the ballpark.

I remember meeting Faust when I was a little girl. My Dad took my sister and me to her small booth and we stood behind her and watched her play. It was so neat to be able to say hi and see her in action!

Faust inspired people with her kindness and her music for years. The sounds of her organ will definitely be missed!!

ABC 7 talked to Faust about her time with the White Sox:

CBS 2 was with Faust for her last game this Sunday. Check out the long line of fans waiting to say goodbye in this story: Swan Song for Longtime White Sox Organist