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John Thomas, known to friends and family as “JT,” ran the Big Sur Marathon at the end of April in support of Inheritance of Hope. This was JT’s 27th completed marathon--yes, you read that right--27th!

JT was introduced to Inheritance of Hope through his wife, Jennifer Thomas. Jennifer has served as a counselor on 16 of our 31 retreats thus far. JT explains that through Jennifer, he has had the chance to witness the difference IoH is making. A few years ago, he brought their three children to a Legacy Retreat in Orlando while Jennifer was working. “We saw the names and faces behind the stories and were conscious of how fortunate we felt to easily enjoy our vacation time without a resource like IoH. I am so glad these impacted families could experience the fun of the parks with the help of the IoH program and volunteers.”

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The phrase “IoH family” is used often by Inheritance of Hope, so pervasively that one might think it is thrown around casually. That could not be further from the case. Examples abound of those who have embraced the IoH family as an extension of their own, but one of the very best is the Dix family. Dan, Brenda, David, Rebecca, and Michael have served IoH with a level of commitment that most people reserve for only their own closest relatives.

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Hollis Malkowski has never run a marathon before, but on November 5 he will race in the 2017 New York City Marathon. He signed up late, has not had much time to train, and was warned by his avid marathon-running aunt that this was not among his brightest ideas.


He bought new shoes for the race, which he claims are bulky and ugly. He has been training in rural New Jersey among bounding deer in a reflective vest and lamp belt. The athletic 22-year old says it is not his finest fashion statement.


So why is he doing this run?

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Chris Douglas wants to talk about silver linings. He can share a list of them with ease if you mention his upcoming half marathon at Soldiers Field in Rochester, Minnesota. Chris is competing in the Nut House Challenge by Triton Events next weekend with the Inheritance of Hope (IoH) team in a unique way.

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Kathy Midkiff ran the Chicago marathon—her first—this past October in support of Inheritance of Hope (IoH). Her fundraising goal was to raise enough money to send an entire family on a Legacy Retreat^®. Kathy’s daughter-in-law, Kerri Midkiff, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2009, and since then Kathy has seen firsthand the difficulties that IoH families face.

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Zachary Austin, 13, of Brevard, NC, first learned about Inheritance of Hope (IoH) when two of his friends were given the opportunity to attend a Legacy Retreat^®. Erik and Jason Crawford went with their parents, John and Heather, on the Orlando Legacy Retreat^® in August of 2014. Zach knew the Crawford family well since John was also his Boy Scouts leader.

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Andrea Kent was not a runner until 2000, when her husband of 20 years died unexpectedly. She began to run in order to cope with her grief, and explains, “I didn’t know what to do, so I just started running.” Within a year, she ran her first marathon. Now, at age 59, she has completed ten marathons, numerous half-marathons, and a number of triathlons, racking up awards and accolades along the way.

Andrea’s next race is the Big Sur International Marathon in California on Sunday, April 30th.

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Carol Lacert and Theresa Whyard-McKinley, whose families have both been impacted by terminal illness, love helping other families in similar situations enjoy Inheritance of Hope Legacy Retreats®.  They enthusiastically fundraise so that more families from Northern Colorado can have the Legacy Retreat® experience.  They recently joined forces with Resurrection Christian School in Loveland, Colorado, with great success.

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Students in the Key Club of Scecina Memorial High School in Indianapolis staged a big event in July of 2016 at Irvington’s Ellenberger Park.

The Second Annual Ultimate Frisbee Tournament in memory of Jenny Deery was organized by students. Jenny Deery was a Scecina parent who died of leukemia in 2014. The tournament raised $1,000 for Inheritance of Hope, a charity that works with families facing a parent’s terminal illness.

Jeff Carter attended the May 2014 Orlando Legacy Retreat^® with his family.  Since his wife was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, he has taken up endurance fitness, and he paid forward his Legacy Retreat^® experience by using his Florida Ironman training to promote Inheritance of Hope.  Check out this video interview: