Ben McKevitt was one of our first time marathon runners this year. He raised a great number of funds for our organization. The most amazing part of his story and involvement with us is that he hadn’t even heard of Family Empowerment Center, until checking into Chicago Marathon charity organizations online! He explained, “I didn’t know if I had the ability to talk people into giving me money for something I wasn’t truly interested in. Not to say I don’t care about Cancer or AIDS or any of the very noteworthy charities I could have run for it just wasn’t something that hit home with me. I read about everything Family Empowerment Center does and it hit home. I knew immediately I could raise some money for the Family Empowerment Center and if not I was willing to give if I couldn’t.”

So, you may ask yourself why Family Empowerment Center? Ben McKevitt grew up in Long Island, NY and had 3 brothers and sisters. His mom was a single mom who bartended and always tried to do the best for them. “Having an organization like yours would have helped our family more than imaginable back then and I can only imagine what good it does for your community now. It is easy for me to ask people to support this when it hits home for me. I can just tell them a story of where I came from and why it means a lot to me.”

Ben joined the Navy after High School and while in the Navy he got his M.S. degree in Human Resource Management. Ben currently works at a Nuclear Power Plant operator in the Navy. “I am glad to be in a position where I can give back, even if it isn’t the community where I am living, it helps create better people. I thank you guys for that! I will always run through you guys in the future. I just decided I wanted to do this and it has been good to me so far.”

Now, Ben lives in MI with his wife and children. His children are another reason for running for us. “I want to help others while doing something I love to do... run. My children are coming of age (4 and 7) and I see them copying adults. I want them to have good habits to copy. They are the loves of my life and without them and my wonderful wife, I couldn't do this.” And that right there is why we do what we do. We are a presence here in the community to strengthen families and act as positive role models in children’s’ lives. Pray for more Ben McKevitts in our community, men who are seeking to be a positive presence to their kids and community. What a blessing that would be.