Denise Becker family raises $3,450 with help from local community in annual “Run for the Cause” efforts

For the past seven years, Denise Becker of Lansing and her daughters, Jessica Verdon and Jennifer Becker, have run in the annual Chicago Rock and Roll Half-Marathon, which took place Sunday, July 17 this year. In addition to Sunday’s half-marathon, they also ran a 5K race the previous day, Saturday July, 16.

Every year Becker and her daughters run in the event to raise awareness of how Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) affect returning service members, helping to spread the message of “if we send them, we must mend them." Becker cites that, on average, 22 veterans take their own lives on a daily basis due to PTSD/TBI.

In taking part in the half-marathon, the trio asks the local community to assist with monetary donations that can then be distributed to various organizations focused on assisting veterans. This year’s fundraising efforts resulted in $1,725 being donated by the community, with Becker Electric of Lansing matching every dollar raised each year to make for a total fundraising effort of $3,450 this year.

That donated funding has since been distributed in equal submissions of $1,600 each to Warrior Expedition (www.warriorexpeditions.org) and Thunder Rode (www.thunderrode.org), both of whom provide assistance to war veterans upon their return from duty. Additionally, the remaining $250 in raised funds was used to purchase gas cards that were then distributed to the local Veterans Affairs office to help veterans pay for gas when traveling to and from medical appointments.