Back when I was at Sacred Heart Elementary School in Chicago, I lived for kickball games at lunch. Being the pitcher (roller?) for the boys’ team almost made school tolerable. Last Saturday, I rekindled my kickball love at the Kicks for a Cure event while spending a great day on Chicago’s lakefront.

Held every summer in Grant Park, Kicks for a Cure is the world’s largest charity kickball tournament. Over 1,000 people watched as teams competed and raised money for cancer research. All proceeds went to Receptions for Research — The Greg Olsen Foundation, founded in 2009 by Olsen, the former Chicago Bears tight end, to honor his mother, a breast cancer survivor. Several of my friends were playing for a team of new friends who came from New Jersey for the event.

Watching my friends play kickball in beautiful Grant Park off of Lake Michigan was about as cool as it gets. Actually, it did get better, when they put me into the last game. I got a hit and scored. As I headed to third, I remember seeing the lake and then headed for home with the Hancock Building in the background. This was simply amazing and breathtaking (and not just because I had to sprint). Plus, it was all for a great cause.

After the event, I met my nephew Matt, who is living downtown while pursuing his Master’s Degree from Loyola. We went to dinner at 25 Degrees, our newest favorite place for turkey burgers. The open-air front was perfect on this beautiful day, and the food was great as usual.

From there, we progressed to Timothy O’Toole’s for a night of watching baseball at a lively sports bar. Of course, we enjoyed a few appetizers during the course of the night. I absolutely love the goat cheese quesadilla.

This was a magical day. Great food, scenery, friends and weather combined with my rekindled love of kickball. I loved it all.

— John Wroblewski, online contributor