Hello Kpeasey friends...On behalf of Brent and me, we would like to wish you all a very happy holiday season.
The Kyle Pease Foundation has had a tremendous year due to the efforts of all of our fans, donors, sponsors and supporters.
This past fall has been one for the ages culminating with our 7th Annual Bowling with Kpeasey event. The fun-filled fundraiser was a rolling success with most of our athletes in attendance. The event included laughter in abundance as well as selling the Kpeasey swag, the launch of Justin Knight's new book, A Knight in Shining Armor, great food and some awesome raffles and give-aways. Overall the event was a rousing success.
One of the highlights of the event included the announcement of The Jake Vinson Family Grant. This was a special one as we awarded two recipients of the grant. Sherry Adams and her family received a grant to help facilitate the construction of a handicapped bathroom to allow Sherry to gain more independence. Noah and
Naomi Williams also received a grant to put towards a new van to get Noah to all of his activities. There wasn't a dry eye in the place. We were thrilled to once again have The Vinson family in attendance to announce and congratulate the winners. The memory of Jake will always be a part of who we are and what we stand for.
Thank you to all who came out to Stars and Strikes to participate and volunteer for the event.
And now a few words from Brent: Bowling with KPeasey actually started in 2009 before The Kyle Pease Foundation was actually born. Kyle, with the help of some of his friends and aides, set up a bowling event. That first event benefited Reaching for the Stars, an organization supporting individuals with Cerebral Palsy. Kyle ran and organized the event on his own and helped to raise a little more than $3000 dollars.
When the foundation was formed in 2011 we elected to continue with an inclusive event, bowling, that was the original vision of our founder. Today we raise nearly $25,000 annually at bowling, which allows us to support our local 5K/10K races for ALL our athletes! The joy we gain from helping disabled individuals find joy in endurance sports is a true joy and we look forward to continuing to share our mission. Thank you all for allowing us to serve and for helping us grow year in and year out!
Together We Wheel
And now a few words from Brent: Bowling with KPeasey actually started in 2009 before The Kyle Pease Foundation was actually born. Kyle, with the help of some of his friends and aides, set up a bowling event. That first event benefited Reaching for the Stars, an organization supporting individuals with Cerebral Palsy. Kyle ran and organized the event on his own and helped to raise a little more than $3000 dollars.
When the foundation was formed in 2011 we elected to continue with an inclusive event, bowling, that was the original vision of our founder. Today we raise nearly $25,000 annually at bowling, which allows us to support our local 5K/10K races for ALL our athletes! The joy we gain from helping disabled individuals find joy in endurance sports is a true joy and we look forward to continuing to share our mission. Thank you all for allowing us to serve and for helping us grow year in and year out!
Together We Wheel
We did do just a bit of racing this season including a visit to NY and the New York City Marathon. Brent and I, along with with Ricardo Aranda and Matt Sour visited the Big Apple and had a blast during our redemption tour. Ricardo soaked up every famous NYC landmark that the city had to offer including Times Square, and the world renowned Katz's Deli. It was great to see Ricardo so excited even before the race. His enthusiasm was contagious.
The race was equally amazing. It was surreal as Brent pointed out the spot along the course where our wheel exploded last year. This year, no such mishap as we blazed through the streets of the city in record time. We also were able to talk about the organization during an interview with USA Today and on our local station 11 Alive Atlanta. See more images on our facebook photo album.
The week before we were in the Nation's capitol for the Marine Corps Marathon. It is incredible to roll through the streets of DC with all those historic monuments and landmarks as a back drop. The MCM had many of our teams participating at their highest level and it was a true honor to celebrate it with the Abilities Experience. Nine KPF teams participated and had an incredible experience. What I love most about the event is the fact that it brings all of us together as a KPF family. Laughing, competing and just hanging out creates an unforgettable experience.
The foundation would not be possible without our athletes,
sponsors, supporters, board members. Once again, we thank you for making 2016 one to remember and we look forward to what 2017 has in store. Stay tuned for updated race info coming up on our website very soon.
Until then....remember that Where There's a Wheel, There's a Way!