HARTLAND, Wis. — Thousands of runners will be participating in the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon on Sunday. Everyone is running for their own personal reason—some to push themselves, others to qualify for the Boston Marathon—but for a local man, he is running for something else—to help inspire and support those who are in the fight of their lives.
Cory Zimmerman is the co-founder of the "This Time Tomorrow Foundation." It's a non-profit organization helping those who are battling cancer and financially through its Random Acts of Kindness Program, also called RAKs. Volunteers surprise cancer patients from across the nation with a check, support, and love from a stranger.
"This year will be delivering between 80 to 100 RAKs nationwide," said Zimmerman.
The non-profit was inspired by a song Zimmerman wrote in 2001 after his coworker and friend was battling stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In 2010, the foundation was formed to continue to uplift those who are fighting.
"It’s just inspiring to see their smiles," said Zimmerman.
Each patient gets a check for about $3,000—but for Cory, it's about something more—it's about letting the patients know they are not alone.
Now as Zimmerman prepares for the big race.
"Every time I’m running and I start hurting, I think of them. It gets me to another mile," said Zimmerman.
He is hoping to inspire others just as each one of the cancer patients he is running for has inspired him along the way.
"When I’m running these long distances, I constantly think about the people that we’ve helped," said Zimmerman.
To learn more about This Time Tomorrow Foundation, click here.
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