October 4th, 2024 marked the ten-year anniversary of the passing of Jane Caliendo, a former Sandburg student, teacher, coach, and cherished Orland Park resident. In honor of this, the Jane Caliendo Memorial Foundation hosted its 10th and final 5k race on September 8th, 2024, marking the end of a chapter, but not the end of Jane’s legacy.
Through high school, Jane Caliendo was an exemplary student and athlete, acquiring a total of 11 Varsity letters over her four years in the sports of swimming, track, and basketball. She graduated in 1987 and further pursued her passion for sports and education at the University of Illinois, only to return to Sandburg shortly after as a teacher and coach.
“Whether you are motivated by Jane’s story, or whether you are a friend or a colleague, or a teammate of Jane’s in the past, you’re all here because of Jane in one way, shape, or form,” said Jim Caliendo (Jane’s husband and retired Sandburg teacher and coach) during his speech at the 2024 5k Run/Walk.
With each passing year, Jane’s friends and family have organized a 5k Run/Walk in honor of Jane, but 2024 would be different; it would be the last time this race would occur.
“We wanted to keep Jane’s legacy alive and remind people of the kind of person that she was and what was important to her, so [we gathered] her friends, her family, and our community through Sandburg and St. Michael’s to come together for a positive experience to raise money to give back, cause that’s what Jane was always about, she wanted to help everybody,” said Tracy Sullivan, a long-term friend of Jane’s.
Upon Jane’s passing in October of 2014, her husband, Jim Caliendo, founded a non-profit organization in her honor: The Jane Caliendo Memorial Foundation. Over the past ten years, the foundation has awarded over $100k worth of scholarships to Sandburg athletes and over $100k in donations to various Sandburg sports teams.
The annual race has not only served as a great source of community building and fundraising for the organization, but also a source of alleviation in the grieving process of those who admired Mrs. Caliendo. Amongst the most notable of these people is Mrs. Caliendo’s daughter, Margaret “Maggie” Caliendo, who was only eleven years old when her mom passed. “I never really knew her impact as well as I thought I did, so this [event] is just kind of a reminder of how many lives she touched, how big of an impact she had on the community, and how big of a heart she had,” she shares.
Maggie Caliendo said that the races have been “a really good way to not be so sad about her death but [instead] celebrate her life and that she did live.” She explained that her mother lives vicariously through her and the races, and that she is reminded of this when compared to her mother each year as she matured into who she is now.
“The 5ks might be over, but our fundraising will not be. We’re still looking for donations, we’re still looking for some interaction between Sandburg, St. Mike’s community, and us. We still want to be involved, we still want to give out scholarships, [and] we still want to give back to the community as much as we can,” she assures.
The organization coordinators explained that they had enough funds to continue providing scholarships to students for many years to come, and were looking to continue their mission besides the races. “We’ll do some different forms of fundraising in the future, but the sole purpose remains the same,” said brother Michael Schofield, “to show that Jane cared about the community and we want other people to care about the community.”
Over the years, the foundation has acted generously in the name of Jane Caliendo and what she stood for, positively impacting the lives of hundreds of people.
In addition to helping the Sandburg and Orland Park community, the Jane Caliendo Memorial Foundation has also partnered with the University of Chicago Medicine and Jane’s physician Dr. Blase Polite, and their initiatives to promote research about colon cancer. A fraction of the proceeds from the races went directly towards this research each year.
Another goal of the Jane Caliendo Memorial Foundation is to inspire others to take an active role in their community and incorporate the many positive characteristics of Jane Caliendo into their lives.
“We use what she did in her life as an example for other kids, because like I said, she was a student at St. Michael’s and a student at Sandburg. She was a leader. She came back to Sandburg after she graduated college to be a coach. She loved the community so much and she gave a lot back. She inspired kids to be leaders and we want to continue that,” said Michael Schofield.
Former student, colleague, and assistant coach to Jane, Ms. McBride says that Jane, “cared a lot about being a good person and helping kids be good people by talking to people, athletes in particular, about integrity and character. She was also very insistent that all the little things are what add up to a successful performance.”
Echoing these ideas, Tracy Sullivan says, “Jane, when she was on the court, as a coach or player, was a leader. When she was in the classroom, she was a teacher, but it’s not just those two roles. In her entire life, she was teaching people how to serve the community, how to be good people, and how to help others without even being asked. She was that one person who always showed up for everyone else, and we wanted to give that opportunity back to other people in any way we could and continue her name.”
The Sandburg community also wanted to honor Coach Jane Caliendo and her immense contributions to all the programs in which she was involved. On August 28, 2016, the aquatic center of the school was formally dedicated to and renamed after Coach Jane Caliendo. Caliendo had spent much of her life in the aquatic center as a student and coach; it only made sense that it was her place of remembrance within the school.
Ms. McBride says, “She was very competitive in a positive way, an asset in her coaching. She had very high standards for her students and her athletes and… she always demonstrated a lot of faith in her athletes and believed that they could step up and meet the challenges that she was giving them.” Ms. McBride says that Mrs. Caliendo pushed her students beyond their limits, but also set an example by stepping outside her own comfort zone in many ways.
In a speech to the community at the 10th annual memorial race Michael Schofield said, “If you had Jane on your side, you had a constant cheerleader; she loved everybody, she pushed everybody, but she was always there to support anybody and everybody in their lowest times. That’s the type of person she was. She was a fierce competitor but a humble, gentle person, and we all miss her.”
“When she was a coach and got sick, her students rallied around her because she always rallied around her students,” explains Schofield.
Through the years, Jane’s supporters have come to be known as Jane’s Warriors. “We always called her The Warrior because she trained so hard,” says Michael Schofield. The title took on a new meaning when she was diagnosed; one that dealt with a battle against difficulties and a strong passion for life.
“Jane Caliendo was loved by students and colleagues. She faced her battle with strength and courage. Jane’s positive outlook and fierce determination will be forever remembered. After Jane lost her battle with cancer, the students wanted to make t-shirts in her memory. The slogan ‘Be a Warrior’ reminded everyone to tackle any obstacle with bravery and hope. Several hundred t-shirts were sold. People dedicated their travels to Jane and shared pictures wearing their Warrior shirts from the most amazing places around the world. Jane’s spirit will continue to shine at Sandburg,” explains colleague Kathleen Krueger.
“What I’d encourage us all to do today is just try to be a little bit more like Jane,” proposed Tracy Sullivan at the final 5k in her speech.
Ms. McBride shares that if Jane’s life were to serve as a lesson to others, it would convey to “Live life with purpose, [to] really know what you want and go after it with enthusiasm.”
This September may have marked the end of a cherished tradition for the Jane Caliendo Memorial Foundation and the community, but certainly not the last of Jane’s Warriors.
