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Team LYDIA was formed in 2009 to raise money for the students of LYDIA’s Urban Academy in Chicago. LYDIA Urban Academy (LUA) is an alternative high school dedicated to the belief that anyone can learn if given personalized guidance and the proper academic environment. LUA averages approximately 25 students at any given time. The enrollment numbers are kept low in order to allow for a wonderfully low teacher/student ratio. This much more highly individualized attention allows the students to receive the instruction, supervision, and guidance that creates the success that many of the students who have gone through Urban Academy have been able to achieve—improved GPA, higher attendance rates, and even after-graduation achievements.

It costs LYDIA about $5,000 to educate each student. Most of the students’ families pay about $1,500, based on a sliding scale of economic need. In order to help LYDIA fund this valuable education, and to make up the difference between cost and actual payments, LYDIA relies on donations.

Becoming a part of Team LYDIA allows for you to be one of those donors. By running for Team LYDIA, you are—even if only in this seemingly simple way—helping kids to succeed. Your running goals equal life goals being set by our students every day due to the efforts of LYDIA’s Urban Academy-Chicago. As you join Team LYDIA and are “Running to Learn,” you are allowing for opportunities for our LUA students to be “Learning to Run” through life—setting goals, realizing success, and achieving their dreams. 

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