You don’t need a degree in business or marketing to be an influential fundraiser for a cause you believe in. All it takes is some creativity and confidence to ask people to donate.
Just ask Brian Fee, a Chicago native, a fourth-year Mercy Home Hero, and one of our most dedicated fundraisers.
But the first miles Fee logged for Mercy Home were not on foot, but on two wheels.
An avid cyclist, Fee can’t get enough time on a bike. It is his favorite pastime, a healthy way to stay in shape, and he loves to be a part of a welcoming community of cyclists in Chicago.
But in 2016 and 2017, he was in two cycling accidents that required surgeries. His future riding days looked in doubt, but he was determined to get back on the bike and continue to push himself.
In 2020, Fee challenged himself to complete a grueling 100-mile cycling trek in Chicago.
“I put together a century ride just for fun with a group of friends, a hundred-mile bike ride, which is like the bike riding equivalent to a marathon,” he said.
When his friend Kristin Vanderbilt, a Mercy Home employee, found out about Fee’s goal, she asked him if he would use the ride to raise money for Mercy Home for Boys & Girls.
After learning about Mercy Home's mission to help kids in crisis, Fee was all in.
What was supposed to be a few friends riding the course grew to 30 riders completing the 100-mile course. Fee successfully finished and raised $3,000 for Mercy Home, which helped provide a safe home for our kids and resources to heal from trauma.
But then it was time for Fee to challenge himself on a bigger stage–the 26.2-mile course of the 2021 Bank of America Chicago Marathon as a Mercy Home Hero. It was always his dream to run a marathon, and he realized there would be no better way to than to help kids in the process.
“It just felt right. It was a perfect [way to give back],” Fee said.
Fee is now running as a Mercy Home Hero for his fourth time, and we are so glad to have him back again!
After reflecting on his time as a hero, Fee is thankful for all the events, amenities, and support he receives from Mary Connolly, the Mercy Home Heroes Manager, and the other heroes.
“I don't think I'd be doing my fourth marathon [with Mercy Home if it weren’t for] all the perks they offer and the people,” Fee said.
Combined with passion and motivation to help our kids, Fee finds creative ways to fundraise for Mercy Home. In the summer of 2023, he decided to put his skills as a certified HVAC technician to work and fixed and cleaned people’s air conditioning units for a $100 donation to Mercy Home.
“It worked out great,” Fee said. “Everyone that I spoke with needed their AC looked at. Plus, they wanted to donate.”
But for some marathon runners, raising money can seem harder than the actual 26.2-mile race.
One of Fee’s best tips for fundraising is to hand out QR codes that link to your fundraising page.
"Make sheets of paper almost like business cards and put a QR code where you can scan it or visit the link,” Fee said.
“Make sure the link is visible for people to see. "Put it on social media and print it out because you will run into people who will ask for a link or how they can donate.”
Fee wants more people to get involved and be a part of the Mercy Home Heroes excitement when they put on a hero jersey and cross the finish line––all to make a difference in our kids' lives at Home.
“I've gotten at least four or five runners to sign up with Mercy Home this year,” Fee said. “The benefit of being attached to [Mercy Home] is worth it.”
We are so grateful for dedicated friends like Fee and all our Mercy Home Heroes for their incredible dedication to fundraising, training, and crossing the finish line.