Inspired to Help. Determined to Make a Difference.

Liam Turns Compassion Into Impact

When Liam Farley attended a ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation benefit in New York City with his dad, Rick, he didn’t expect the evening to lead to a fundraising effort of his own. But by the time they were walking home, the Brooklyn high school senior already knew he wanted to help.

“I told my Dad I would like to volunteer in some way,” Liam recalled.

Helping others, especially children, was already important to him. A senior at Brooklyn Technical High School, where he is a Law & Society major, Liam balances academics with playing defense on the varsity lacrosse team and performing as a violinist in the Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2023, he has also spent many Saturdays volunteering at the Meatloaf Kitchen in Manhattan, helping provide breakfast to as many as 500 guests at a time.

His commitment to children grew even stronger last summer during a five-week internship with Project Go, where he worked with elementary school students to help provide educational equity.

“I enjoy helping kids,” Liam said. “My Dad and I attended the benefit for ChadTough in the middle of my internship, so I immediately was drawn to want to help the foundation in some way.”

After the event, Liam and Rick spoke with ChadTough Defeat DIPG co-founder Tammi Carr about Liam’s desire to get involved from New York. When Tammi mentioned the virtual option for the foundation’s RunTough 5K, he knew he had found his answer.

Liam created his own fundraiser and reached out to family, friends and coworkers with the help of his parents. Liam intentionally started with a modest fundraising goal, hoping simply to do what he could.

The response went far beyond anything he expected.

In just a few weeks, 103 donors helped Liam raise more than $9,250 for ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation.

“I am amazed at the response,” he said. “I am very thankful to everyone who donated.”

On September 27, while hundreds of RunTough participants gathered in Saline, Michigan, Liam and his family completed their own 5K in downtown New York City. A nor’easter made for a very wet walk, but umbrellas in hand, the family headed out anyway. The Tunnel to Towers event was also taking place that day, filling the streets of Lower Manhattan with others walking for causes close to their hearts.

For Liam, the experience reinforced something he already believed: Making a difference doesn’t have to begin with a huge plan. It simply requires being willing to start.

His advice to other young people who want to help is just as straightforward.

“Find an area that interests you and try to find a mentor in that area to help build your interest,” Liam said. “Any little thing you can do makes a difference.”

Liam’s effort is proof of just how quickly those “little things” can add up to something extraordinary.