It’s so easy, a 7 year old could do it…

I recently came across this lil beauty. It’s a great example that fundraising is “so easy, a 7 year old could do it.” Hell, if nothing else, next time you need a fundraising idea just hold a “heptathlon”… Seriously? Who are these kids?!

Here’s the article-
 
YOUNG athletes raised more than £560 with a charity heptathlon.

The event saw 52 members of the Horwich RMI Harriers and Athletic Club running, jumping and throwing in seven different events in less than two hours.

The youngsters, aged seven to 12, presented the money to Derian House children’s hospice.

Coach Mark Dacre said: “As well as being a fun athletic event, this was also a fundraising opportunity, and the amount of money they raised is amazing. They are all superstars.”

For all of you readers who don't think you can fundraise, the answer is "Yes." Yes these kids are laughing at you.

Grind for Life

A good friend of mine sent me a link to this foundation, Grind For Life. It’s a really cool foundation that has all the right ingredients. It was founded by an athlete who survived cancer 2 different times and through those battles realized there were needs not being met and that he could help. This is exactly what I love to see out there!

In 2003 Mike Rogers, a life-long skateboarder, was in the middle of his second battle with cancer when he realized, along with all of the other challenges that cancer presents, that the cost of traveling to his treatments was becoming overwhelming. That’s why he started Grind For Life to help other survivors pay for the expenses associated with driving long distances for their treatments.

Check it out, there are a lot of opportunities to purchase official GFL gear to support the cause. www.grindforlife.org

A Case of the Mondays

I hope everyone had a great weekend and is easing into the school or work week. Bill Bowerman is credited with saying: “if you have a body you are an athlete.” What you decide to do with it is up to you. Check out this new “sport.”

So spice up your Monday by sessioning a rail, car-hood or ledge around the office. Have a little fun and enjoy you athleticism. How did we get by before youtube?

While you are waging war on workforce productivity, head over to fat cyclist’s blog. In addition to providing hilarious commentary on all things cycling he has also come up with some pretty awesome ways to raise money for cancer.  His wife, and mother of their 4 kids has breast cancer and Fatty has come up with some awesome fundraising ideas.  

Now get back to work slackers!

mike

Good deed of the week

He’s anything but conforming. Like him or not, Bode is a badass. His gift to ski is unparalleled and is almost as strong as his ability to piss off the press. You can say what you will about Bode Miller but you can’t deny that he’s a good guy and to prove it, he has a good cause. This is a quote from Bode re: giving back, “The challenge in life for most people is making the conscious decision to do good for others or to do nothing. It’s that choice that defines the individual.”

Bode’s foundation is the Turtle Ridge Foundation (I like it already because he didn’t call it the Bode Miller Foundation). The Turtle Ridge Foundation is dedicated to supporting innovative and progressive environmental initiatives and youth athletic opportunities throughout the United States.

http://www.turtleridgefoundation.org/ Find out how you can be involved!

The Polls are Open.

It has been said that in a capitalist society, citizens vote with their dollars.   It’s true.  Think of all your choices as a consumer as mini elections.  Think about the shops, restaurants and even foundations that you vote for with your money.  Why are you voting for them?  I am sure you have your reasons…

Times are tough right now.  Incase you have not heard our economy is in the biggest recession since the Great Depression.  I don’t know anyone who has not been affected by this.  The company I worked for went out of business in November and as a result, I now have significantly fewer votes than I did in the past.  I would love to give lots of money to causes that are near and dear to my heart but can’t.  Obama has changed some of the tax shelter policies that have made large donations less attractive to the ultra rich. Between lots of us having fewer votes and rich loosing tax benefits what are charities to do?

I think that Boarding for Breast Cancer and several other charities are on the right track. Check out their store. They have partnered with a lot of amazing companies to produce all kinds of cool products that, when sold, raise money for a good cause. I think that this model is perfect. Pro snowboarder Barrett Christy, Even donates a percentage her pro-model board royalties. You get the cool products that you want and money is raised for a worthy cause. Win, win. Lots of other companies and foundations are doing this as well. If you think a company or foundation is doing a good job with this model please leave a comment with their URL in it so others can check it out too. Let’s make sure our dollars are voting for the right candidates.

Thanks for reading!

mike

Active Angels

Here is a person who raises the bar for humanity.  When he was 26, Jonny Imerman was diagnosed with testicular cancer.  During his fight, he had a lot of support from family and friends but never connected with someone his own age who had gone through what he was going through.  That’s what motivated him to create Imerman’s Angels so that others would have the support he didn’t.

“Imerman Angels connects a person fighting cancer today (”cancer fighter”) with someone who has beaten the same type of cancer (”cancer survivor”).”  A program like this is VERY needed for young adults with cancer.  

Imerman’s Angels is a 501(c)3 and donations go a very long way to help them provide their services.  They have created an amazing outlet for athletes to give back to their cause.  It’s called Imerman’s Active and it’s a group dedicated to individuals who want to participate in any of the athletic events in support of Imerman Angels. The 2009 line up includes: the Austin Half Marathon, Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle, Bank of America Chicago Marathon and the LIVESTRONG Challenge.

Imerman Active Team Training is an endurance training program that trains participants to complete marathons. Imerman Active participants raise money to benefit 1-on-1 Cancer Support through Imerman Angels. In exchange for their fundraising efforts, team members receive professional training by experienced coaches, monthly team parties, race day events, pre-race pasta party and a post race victory party AND the knowledge that all money raised will help provide cancers fighters with 1-on-1 support.

To learn more about Imerman Angels and Imerman Active, please check out their website at www.imermanangels.org

5 points film festival

There are a thousand film festivals out there but few are as philanthropic and productive as this one.

I have the pleasure of being a panelist at the film festival this year alongside some amazing people, athletes and philanthropists. If nothing else, checking out the trailer is well worth 5 minutes of your time. If you like what you see, spread the word, donate money or ATTEND! You won’t regret it.

Check out their site at http://www.5pointfilm.org/#
There are also some great videos listed below the “film festival teaser” called “discussions for change”. All really good stuff!

Road to Recovery

I first met Tara Llanes in the summer of 2006. I was working as the athlete manager for the Jeep King of the Mountain ski & snowboard series. That summer I also took over the gravity cycling events. My background is in skiing and endurance cycling. I was in way over my head and had no idea what I was doing. Tara was one of the first athletes I met at my first JKOM mountain bike event. She is an amazing person and is one of the best female racers of all time.

On the first of September 2007, Tara’s life would be changed forever. While competing in the Jeep King of the Mountain finale in Beaver Creek Colorado, Tara suffered a horrific crash during the first run of her semi-final heat. Tara was rushed to Vail Valley Hospital, and then airlifted to Denver Health Hospital a short time later. Following seven hours of surgery to the back and spinal cord, it was determined she had no feeling from the waist down.

Tara is working as hard as any champion has ever worked to regain the use of her legs. Life is dangerous and incredibly uncertain, add to that our love of sports and the outdoors and any one of us could end up facing the same challenges that Tara now faces.

One of the central themes to this website is identifying what you have to give and how to give it. Tara was racing Jill Kintner when she was injured. Kintner is an Olympic bronze medalist as well as a 3-Time UCI 4x World Champion, 2-Time UCI World Cup Champion, 3-Time US National Champion and has 13 World Cup Victories to her name. In addition to being a phenomenal bike racers Jill is also a very gifted artist. Jill used her talent as a graphic designer to design a custom labeled Heart of a Champion lip balm. The balm is available on Tara’s website. The purchase goes to funding Tara’s road to recovery.

I am inspired by both of these women and encourage anyone reading this to think about all of their gifts and who they could help by giving them. Thanks for reading!

mike

Good deed of the week

Sorry for not getting this out sooner but it’s never too late to pay it forward.

I went flying in my Cessna 182 (aka the BUGSMASHER) today and realized what a treat it is to be able to do that. I also know how convenient private travel can be. Of all the people I have met, few are more passionate than pilots and this is a great example. There is an organization called “Angel Flight” and this is the low down.

“Angel Flight was created by a group of pilots who believe in the benefit of volunteering. strive to keep all aspects of the organization volunteer. We are a non-profit charitable organization of pilots, volunteers, and friends. We will arrange free air transportation for any legitimate, charitable, medically related need. This service is available to individuals, and health care organizations. We will also arrange transportation of those people who are financially distressed, or who are in a time-critical, non-emergency situation due to their medical condition.”

First Descents has used them in the past and they really do help non profits and people alike save a lot of money in times of need. Please spread the word on Angel Flight and if you feel so inclined (or if you’re a pilot looking for some “tail wind karma”) please make a small donation to keep these planes in the air!

To learn more or make a donation to Angel Flight, please click HERE

7 “extreme” athletes with a cause

Forbes did this piece on “7 ‘extreme’ athletes with a cause”. I would rename it “7 athletes doing extreme things for a cause”. Regardless of what you want to call it, these athletes are at the pinnacle of athletic fundraising. Some pretty cool stories about just how far people will go to fundraise.

check it: http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/24/athletes-creative-giving-personal-finance-philanthropy-giving_slide.html