Meet Your Winter 2026 Event Volunteers
By Allison Yates
The Read & Run Chicago community is full of Chicagoans dedicated to learning our city’s history and spending time moving with others—and our event volunteers are no exception.
This season, we’re honored to have the best volunteers supporting readers & runners at our events. These volunteers come from different fields and have different interests and life experiences, but all share a love of connecting with others and celebrating Chicago.
Here are the three volunteers you’ll see at Read & Run Chicago’s Winter 2026 events.
Grace McGann (she/her)
Grace is a longtime Read & Run Chicago volunteer. She loves to get outside and move with others, especially while exploring new (to her) Chicago neighborhoods.
Other volunteer activities include working with Open Books and Chicago Humanities. A big fan of local books, Grace enjoys talking with other readers & runners about the stories that inform our routes.
What to ask Grace about: Grace is also a yoga instructor. Ask her about the many benefits and/or poses for runners!
Which Winter 2026 event is Grace most excited for? The Running Tour of The Chicago River with Mejay Gula of the Tender House Project. “I love any opportunity to appreciate the natural resources we work so hard to maintain in our beautiful city,” she writes, “especially mid-week, and mid-winter!”
Francisco R. Peralta-Cerda (he/him)
Francisco is a high school teacher who enjoys reading, running, and telling jokes to those around him (trust us: they are so much fun!).
What to ask Francisco about: Fun facts about Chicago—he’s a former university tour guide (those fun facts may or may not be puns…). He’s also always down to talk about the book of the week that he’s currently reading.
Which Winter 2026 event is Francisco most excited for? The Running Tour of West Loop Women for International Women's Day.
Cat Shieh (she/they)
Cat is a Chicago-based runner, educator, and community builder with a background in politics, civil rights, DEI, and teaching. A former hurdler before undergoing spine surgery, Cat and her dog Sunny have been running long distance for the past two and a half years using the sport as a path for collective connection.
After moving to Chicago five years ago, Read & Run Chicago was Cat’s first social space during COVID and has since become a core part of her life and community. Through Read & Run Chicago, she is committed to making running a more pace diverse, geopolitically aware, and civically active space—one where movement, learning, and community-building come together to create a more connected and just city.
What to ask Cat about: Urban planning. “Ask why urban planning is so, so cool to study and why people who study it are usually kinda cool!” she says.
Which Winter 2026 event is Cat most excited for? The Book Club Run of Three Girls From Bronzeville. “Bronzville is dope,” she writes. “I want people to know how cool it is, but I almost want to keep it a hidden gem (like it’s mine to claim, haha!). Also Read & Run Chicago guide Cynthia Okechukwu is truly a dear friend of mine who has led these in the past, present, and future.”
Honorary Volunteer
Sunny Shieh (she/her)
Sunny has explored Chicago by foot for the last five years with her mom, Cat. While she’s most known for her sprinting abilities, many readers & runners don’t know she’s also an expert at tricks. Seriously, ask her to jump on your back for a treat!
What to ask Sunny about: Neighborhoods with the best smells.
Which Winter 2026 event is Sunny most excited for? Bronzeville, obviously. “I love what my mom loves, mostly,” she explains.