Shop For A Cause: Kendall's Kindness

312 South 3rd Street,Geneva IL 60134

16 February, 2023

Description

For those that don’t know me my name is Maddie Solomon. I am a senior at the University of Kansas and will be graduating in May of 2023. I will have two business degrees and a certificate in sales, but I still have one thing I want to check off before that day and I know you can help me do it! If we go back to circa 2001, I had the privilege of growing up on Cole Drive in South Elgin, IL. This was not just any street but it was a street of lifetime friends, guaranteed play dates, family vacations and just someone to always wave too when you passed by. A very special family lived four houses down from us and that was the Maffia family. To get even more specific, one of them was Kendall Maffia, she was a kind, creative, funny, active, talented and overall amazing human. Kendall was one year older than me which meant we were in different grades, but we still spent lots of time at playdates, family get-togethers, running around the neighborhood, bus rides, and workouts together. A few of the memories I will never forget include, when Kendall asked me to take a bike ride from our houses to downtown St.Charles and back, it took hours but we talked and connected the whole ride. Another time was homecoming week each year, Kendall would go all out in class colors and she pushed me to do the same. We would call each other the night before, after we gathered all our things in our houses, then we would walk to each other's houses to plan our outfits for the next day, without her I would have never gotten so into it. Lastly, Kendall was super active and was very athletic. In high school, we both went to Get Fast speed training and we would plan to go on the same nights to carpool blasting the music and then motivate each other in our workouts, it made it so enjoyable. I am not sure if Kendall knew this but she was someone I always looked up to and had so much respect for. I would always tell my parents about Kendall and her amazing talents. She was always a smiling face and a person that was always a friend to anyone that walked up to her. Unfortunately on October 11th, 2021 she lost her battle to suicide. In her honor her family has created a foundation called “Kendall’s Kindness.” Their mission is to spread Kendall’s amazing kindness to others and encourage others to spread kindness on the 12th of each month. They also have set up a scholarship fund for a graduating senior at St.Charles North High School that will be pursuing a four-year university and a major that centers around an arts-related degree. I have been thinking for the past year of how I can spread kindness and Kendall’s legacy. I have always had a goal to run a long distance race and raise money for a cause, but I have had lots of health issues throughout my life. As I have a condition called Multiple Hereditary Osteochondroma, this has resulted in 3 major leg surgeries. But in high school an aneurysm formed in my leg the size of a grapefruit and I needed emergency surgery. Going into that surgery I was told I might not come out with my left leg. But with one big 12 inch scar and some great healing genes I can do anything I put my mind to. So…. I am going to run the Salt Lake City Half Marathon on Saturday, April 22nd for my dear friend Kendall Maffia! It will not be easy, lots of training and mental toughness is in store but I love a good challenge and it has been a dream I never thought I would be able to do. What makes it even better is I get to run and raise money for Kendall, someone near and dear to my heart. I have made a goal to raise money for the Kendall’s Kindness foundation to be able to spread more kind acts to others. There is nothing more rewarding than giving back to someone that gave so much to others. All money will go towards the Kendall’s Kindness foundation. Thank you for your support! GoFundMe Link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/half-marathon-for-kendall-maffia Kendall's Kindness Website: https://kendallskindness.com/ Flair on Third: https://flairon3rd.com/