About
The Christopher D. Redding Youth Asthma Foundation was founded in 2013 by Helen and Michael Redding, Sr. in memory of their son, Christopher D. Redding, a student athlete who died of exercise-induced asthma exacerbation in 2003. The Foundation received its 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in November, 2014. Incorporated in Illinois, the Foundation is governed by a 9-member Board of Directors.
Helen Hammond Redding is the driving force behind the Christopher D. Redding Youth Asthma Foundation, serving as its founding Board President. Ms. Redding is determined to create an environment in which no student-athlete in the Metropolitan Chicago area should die from asthma unnecessarily. Ms. Redding recently served as Senior Vice President and State Director of Community Development for Citibank Illinois, where she managed more than fifty nonprofit relationships and administered a philanthropic budget exceeding $1.5 million in Illinois. She holds a MBA in Finance from DePaul University, a BA in Business Administration from Elmhurst College, and a Certificate in Banking from the University of Virginia Graduate School of Retail Bank Management. Ms. Redding spent 41 years in the banking industry before her retirement in June 2013.
About Christopher D. Redding
Christopher D. Redding was an outstanding student leader, athlete and scholar. As captain of the Lake Zurich High School football team, Christopher led the team to the IHSA Class 7A semi-finals. Christopher was a running back, and was the school’s second highest rusher and scorer in history, in spite of the fact that he suffered from asthma, and only played on the Varsity football team for 2 years. Christopher was also a member of the school’s wrestling team and threw the discus for the track and field team. Christopher was a member of the National Honor Society and was elected Homecoming King during his senior year. Christopher also volunteered with Lake Zurich High School’s peer mediation and mentoring program. While Christopher was undoubtedly a gifted athlete, Lake Zurich High School alumni, coaches and teachers remember Christopher most as a person of strong character and leadership ability. He was a student that others emulated.
Upon graduation from Lake Zurich High School in 2003, Christopher enrolled in Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where he majored in business administration and was a member of the football team. While home for Thanksgiving break during his freshman year, Christopher suffered a fatal asthma attack while jogging. Christopher was eighteen years old at the time of his death.