October 20, 2007
Running Anywhere Can Mean Miles for Michaela
PLEASE MAKE A DONATION IN HONOR OF A WONDERFUL LIFE AND THE HOPE FOR A BETTER FUTURE
Michaela Petit ‘14 was a very special girl, beloved by her family as well as her classmates, teachers and the staff at Chase Collegiate School. She, her sister Hayley ‘07, and her mother Jennifer Hawke-Petit were murdered this year in a home invasion. Dr. William Petit, their father and husband, established the Michaela Rose Petit ‘14 Scholarship Fund at Chase. The Scholarship will make possible the enrollment of students like Hayley and Michaela, establishing Michaela’s name as part of the fabric and tradition of our School.
John Carpenter, Head of the Middle School, competed in (and in the minds of us all, won!) the 26.2 mile
To Donate: We ask that you support Mr. Carpenter’s run by donating whatever amount you can. By clicking on the address below, you will be able to make a contribution in a way that is simple and secure.
Mr. Carpenter also ran the marathon in the spirit of Jennifer Hawke-Petit’s enormous dedication to the Chase Collegiate School’s campus-wide Health & Wellness Program. She spearheaded the initiative to encourage healthy lifestyles throughout Chase’s 15 grade levels.
Dr. Petit and the Petit and Hawke families are deeply touched by this selfless gesture. When he learned of Mr. Carpenter’s run, Dr. Petit repeated what has been a mantra of love and inspiration to us all: “I hope everyone will honor my beautiful family by helping a neighbor, fighting for a cause, and loving your family. John Carpenter will have blisters after the marathon but they will be blisters of devotion, and I admire him for that and thank him for that.” As so many of us try to make some sense of this loss Mr. Carpenter’s probably aching feet offer a positive outlet and an inspiring example of generosity. We found in John Carpenter, as Dr. Petit requested, a way to help a future student, fight for a very worthy cause, and show our love and compassion.
Dr. Petit, his parents, and nephew Andrew all joined a very lively contingent from the Chase Collegiate School at the 20 mile mark and cheered on all runners, but none more loudly and with greater affection than for John Carpenter. John stopped and talked to the children and the Petit family, and sprinted away to cheers of “See John Run!” More pictures of Mr. Carpenter and his fans will be on this site soon. He ran a wonderful race, including a lengthy stop with his students and admirers, in 4:19:13.
Dr. William Petit and John Carpenter at the 20 mile mark.
You, too, can follow Mr. Carpenter’s wonderful example and dedicate the activity of your choice as a run for Miles for Michaela. Thousands of fun runs, walk, races of all lengths, and marathons are run every year. Any one of them can be a race in memory of the remarkable Petit family, and this wonderful scholarship in honor of the youngest Petit, Michaela (”KK) Rose Petit. If you plan or want to do some activity to raise money for this incredible opportunity to help another wonderful girl to follow in Michaela’s footsteps, please dedicate your event to Miles for Michaela. Already, people are planning races, walks, fun runs, and marathons all over the country for this cause. Many never met Michaela, but in the spirit of Jiohn Carpenter, know that they can help. Please ask your family, friends and colleagues to make generous donations to this website if you run a raise for this cause. The donation address can also be pasted into your email signature, asking others to help celebrate the Petit women by making a personal contribution to this Fund. If sending a contribution with check, please make it payable to: Chase Collegiate School for the Michaela Petit Scholarship Fund and mail to:
565 Chase Parkway
The race may be over, but our efforts are not. We plan to keep this going, and truly encourage other runners and walkers to support this worthy cause. If you plan or are willing to do a run or walk or other event for Miles for Michaela and The Michaela Rose Petit ‘14 Scholarship Fund, please send an email to ebkrutt@yahoo.com and we will help you promote your event and efforts.
To further tell the story of Michaela and her remarkable family, you might also add this website address to the bottom of your email signature and encourage others to visit the site when they receive an email from you:
