Hi from Laurel O’Sullivan & Tim McCauley. On Sunday May 12th at 9am, we are hosting a 3 mile trail hike in Evanston in honor of what would have been our son Patrick O’Sullivan’s 20th birthday.

We have chosen an incredible charity to raise money for, Paws for Patrick. The name is just a coincidence, but it does make it extra special. Those who knew Patrick well knew he loved our dog Blue, who died 2 years ago, just a few months before Patrick did. Paws for Patrick is a non-profit dedicated to providing emotional support animals (ESAs) and therapy dogs to young people struggling with mental illness including depression, grief, and anxiety. The goal of Paws is to never turn a young person away due to a lack of resources. In just over 3 years they have helped over 500 young people in 43 states find, pay for, and train an ESA to support them. In addition, their team of 30 Therapy Dogs has made visits to over 600 facilities and events reaching over 5,000 people.

We hope you can join us on what happens to be a Mother's Day walk in support of a great charity. We have a fundraising goal of $2500, which is the cost to adopt and train 2 new emotional support animals. We intend to also support the Therapy Dog Program through our contribution to bring therapy animals to kids at Evanston Township High School.

More About the Hike: We will be hiking a trail that we help maintain as volunteer “Lumberjacks” for the Canal Shores golf course, another nonprofit. We will gather at the red windphone (looks like a British phone booth), on Isabella Street in North Evanston, east of Asbury and just west of Girard Street, along the canal, and end our hike at Patrick's memorial bench and chess table. It takes approximately 1 hour to hike the trail. It is a dirt/woodchip trail with some small hills, so wear sturdy gym or hiking shoes.

To learn more about Paws for Patrick, please visit https://www.pawsforpatrick.org. Please consider making a donation to this amazing organization and help us raise awareness and break the stigma associated with mental health disorders! Paws for Patrick relies solely on the generosity of individuals, community, and corporate donations to achieve their mission. Please consider donating to our Just Giving Page:

https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/PawsforPatrick/onlinedonations2-1.html