Lynn Renee Photography Blog | Running For Something
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Running For Something

22 Aug Running For Something

Posted at 20:21h in Photography, School, Sport by
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Running For Something

This summer I had the honor and pleasure of photographing the Cove School 5K Run/Walk, an annual fundraising event for this very unique institution nestled in the heart of Chicago’s North Shore Suburbs. Staff members, families, school students and alumni all gathered at Blue Star Memorial Woods in Glenview to make their way across the finish line at their own speed.
Preparing for the 5K to begin, a family snaps a selfie as everyone lines up.

However, the weather report read like something straight out of Oz, and I was concerned both for their event and for my gear in case the heavens opened up.  So I reached out to my clients the day before and asked about their plan for keeping their participants up to date, and their vendors as well, since I wasn’t the only one lugging around expensive equipment.
Everywhere I go I find myself watching how people walk. With my own special needs boy at home we've been through a lot of types of braces on his legs, the immediate indicator that sets him, and other kids like him, apart from the norm immediately.

I checked my phone at 5am that morning and it was “game on.”  The forecast still calling for thunderstorms I was told that if they see lightning only then will they cancel it all.  So I grabbed my giant raincoat, threw on my waterproof hiking boots and pants, and away I went.
Mother and son making their way through the course together, reacting to cheers from volunteers and other participants.

My onsite contact and I worked closely together to identify Cove students and alumi, looking to feature them and their families in the photos.  He carried a giant umbrella with him and stayed close to my side, only having to open it up above me once or twice between some drizzle so that I could keep my eye on the participants.
Watching the parents coach their kids who are Cove students through the 5K was incredible. Parents like these who've had to advocate extra hard for their children develop a bond above and beyond the typical.

This event is so much more than the money they raised, you can see that it gives the students such a lift as they get their medals at the finish line.  Families with huge smiles on their faces, encouraging each other through the 3.1 miles.  Everyone comes together, outside of the school setting, to show how much Cove School means to the community and how hard they all work to make it happen each and every day.
Two Cove students check out each others medals at the end of the race. Every person who participates gets a medal and they are all different since they've been donated from other organizations.

I’m looking forward to working with Cove again this fall to contribute to their marketing materials with my photography.  Having worked with some of their students at Camp Firefly (see past blog), it’ll be fun to see some familiar faces and capture new ones in this school designed so they can thrive.