Turning grief into something positive - Tammy Kocher

Children who go to camp build life long friendships and confidence, discover new interests, and provide a unique opportunity for social and emotional development. Camp One Step is an organization that gives kids diagnosed with cancer this special environment. Charity Footprints connected with Tammy Kocher, devoted fundraiser and participant on the Power of One Challenge virtual race benefiting Camp One Step. With the help of Tammy and close to 400 others, including one very generous corporate partner – BCS Financial – Camp One Step exceeded their fitness goals and raised over $25,000, providing more children battling cancer the opportunity to attend this extraordinary camp.

Finishing #1 on the Leaderboard, Tammy describes herself as a passionate, athletic, and big-hearted person. Surrounded by a close-knit family in Clarendon Hills, IL, - including 6 nieces and nephews! - Tammy cherishes the time she spends amongst her loved ones. After the tragic loss of her best friend, Deb Cummane, Tammy wanted a place to turn her grief into something positive. She chose Camp One Step as her latest “passion project”. “To give these kids a shot at new inspiration and a boost in life as they battle cancer, would be something Deb would love so I wanted her to be a part of it. She inspires me like the kids inspire me”, Tammy shared with Charity Footprints. Tammy described her best friend as the most selfless soul she’s ever known. Keeping her spirit alive was a way to remain close to Deb while providing these children the possibility to believe in a brighter future and find new hope as they enjoy a pain-free medicine called “camp”.

Beating one fitness goal at a time, Tammy explained the process wasn’t always easy. As a basketball super star, Tammy’s world was rocked when she developed an injury in her knee. After her doctor informed her she could no longer jump, Tammy felt lost without the day-to-day workouts she’d become used to doing all her life. With the guidance of motivational speaker Mel Robbins, and her personal trainer Loren Thomas, Tammy’s new mission was to reinvent her fitness routines and reshape her life.

Charity Footprints’ virtual races encourage multiple ways of getting steps in and accomplishing fitness goals. Walking, running, and cycling are just some of the exercises participants enjoy, all while fundraising for great causes. It wasn’t hard for her to keep motivated on the Footprints campaign. “I kept seeing videos of the kids in the camp, and also just thinking of my nieces & nephews and it gave me such focus to help and do whatever I could to push boundaries and keep raising my goal.”

Having just competed in the Camp One Step 200-mile adventure, her focus for the fall is to stay balanced and active. Tammy is thrilled to add boxing and qui gong to her fitness routine! Something that sets Tammy apart from others is that she feels as though she “gets to workout” rather than “have to workout”. This mindset can only open doors of positivity and growth on Tammy’s path to success and wellness. Establishing an optimistic mindset takes time. Watching oneself grow both mentally and physically opens a lot of doors. For Tammy, it means finding passion in helping others.

In describing the success Tammy sees for Camp One Step in the future, she says “The sky is the limit---the more we use the Charity Footprints technology to showcase this phenomenal organization the more people will know about it! I think as important as the donations were the comments everyone left about helping the kids. Everything in business and personal now resides in social media, so amplifying this is necessary for success.”

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You can donate to Camp One Step. and show your support for Tammy and a wonderful non-profit organization!

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