If You Think 2018 Was Incredible... Just Wait

Even though we are two weeks in, it is not too late to wish a Happy New Year to all of you. We enter the new year with one very difficult to answer question in mind. How do we possibly build upon 2018 and make 2019 even more unforgettable?

It would be so easy to look behind us in the rear view mirror and get stuck traveling down Memory Lane. It’s difficult not to get lost in the many highlights that made 2018 on for the ages. From Publix to Peachtree. From another successful Camp Wheel Away to an extremely successful bowling fundraiser. From The Marine Corps Marathon in our nation’s capitol to a very unforgettable journey down Alii Drive in Kona, 2018 will be a difficult one to top. All of these spectacular moments will help to drive us towards our next big goal of making 2019 the best year ever for the Kyle Pease Foundation.

I bet you are wondering how we could ever top the year that was. My answer is by bringing awareness and inclusion to all of our athletes and to allow them the best experience possible at every race they participate in. By creating opportunities outside of the race course and by bringing awareness to the passion in their lives. It’s our commitment to partner with other resources and to gain exposure in a positive light for the athletes of Kyle Pease Foundation.

2019 is going to be a year full of surprises. We are extremely excited to unveil new book scheduled for release in the spring. Pre-orders will begin in the coming weeks, but that’s all I'm going to share with you for now. We are looking forward to our first race of the year just over the horizon. Because as the weather gets warmer, KPF gets hotter.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment below and we will respond in our next blog. 

Until then,

Kyle!

And Now a Few Words from the Executive Director

Checking in with less than thirty to go before the Ironman World Championships.  It has been a wild summer and we are enjoying as much of this grind as we can.  Not many times do you get to say you are preparing for a world championship race.

We just finished up our last long training weekend together logging more than 100 miles on the road between bike & run.  We will then participate in a transition walk through on Monday to make sure our team is all on the same page before we pack and ship our gear off to KONA.

The fundraising has been incredible and we cannot thank you all enough for stepping up to be a part of this journey with us.  With the race long since funded, we are aiming for the stars to create more opportunities for impact.  The fundraising will be used to purchase a new transport vehicle to assist athletes in getting to and from races, a new truck to accommodate our massive growth this year, two (2) job opportunities for disabled persons and to establish a van scholarship fund.

Triathlon and endurance sports were life changing for me.  It came to my life at a time when I was making adjustments to my life and trying to find more meaning in everything I did.  I had no idea that signing up for an Ironman would lead to so much and enrich my life immeasurably.  It has helped us to enrich the lives of so many beyond KONA and for many more miles to come.

We look forward to celebrating all fall with you as we complete prep for KONA, send 19 teams to Washington DC for the Marine Corps Marathon and of course our annual bowling event.

Together WE Wheel!

Brent

The Kyle Pease Foundation Blasts Through the Tape as 2017 Rolls to a Close

Hello to everyone in KPeasey Nation.  Well as the calendar is about to flip to another year and your local bank or insurance company is about to send you a replacement, I thought it would be fitting to recap some of the highlights of what his been a magical and incredible 2017. 

The past six weeks especially have been busier than ever before as we were filled with many events that took us out of our home base of Atlanta and allowed us to spread the message to several other regions of the country. One of our goals for 2018 and the future is how to share the Kyle Pease Foundation with a more wide spread area and this fall was certainly a glimpse into what the future of KPF may hold. 

Our fall season began in October at the Marine Corps Marathon where we had fifteen teams start and finish the 26.2 mile trek known as the People's Marathon and people, let me tell you. It was an incredible event. 

Our athletes rolled through the streets of DC with all of the famous monuments in the backdrop as thousands of fans cheered them on through the streets of the Nation's Capitol. The statue of Iwo Jima, Lincoln and Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, the dome of the Capitol building and of course the Pentagon and the White House symbolically rooted our athletes on and made each of us realize how lucky we are to be part of a nation where inclusion is not only accepted but it cheered for. 

As we celebrated the triumph of that weekend, we moved into Camp Wheel Away, our annual camp which allows those with disabilities to participate in many assisted activities that they may otherwise not be exposed to.  This was an incredible weekend full of great camp activities, shared with many new friends and potential future KPF athletes. 

Next came a ground breaking weekend of sorts where we had three different teams competing in three different locations around the country. I was in Savannah GA with two athletes who were running the Savannah Marathon, while three racers were over a thousand miles away in the Big Apple competing in the NYC Marathon. Our executive director, my brother, Brent completed his 9th Ironman representing KPF in Panama City. One day, several racers, three locations all wearing KPeasey blue and sharing the message of acceptance and inclusion. 

What a groundbreaking year it has been. From having 42 athletes compete in the Publix in March, to Brent and I competing in Ironman Boulder, CO to everything in between. It was a banner year for the Foundation and prepares us to catapult in to a very exciting year ahead. 

And don't forget bowling with KPeasey was another huge success.  The eighth edition was amazing to be a part of as hundreds of fans, friends and family enjoyed bowling, good food, good fellowship and fundraising. Congratulations to Cougar Clifford, who was awarded the Jake Vinson Award and to Justin Knight  for collecting the coveted Broken Wheel Award. Another congratulations to Lauren, Marin and the rest of the Greg Smith Family for the release of "We Wouldn't Have it Any Other Way," the third children's book in our "Where There's a Wheel, There's a Way Book Series. 

I would be remiss if we did not think all of our sponsors, donors, supporters fans and most of all the athletes and their families. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Words cannot express my gratitude for each and every one of you. 

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The Kyle Pease Foundation Remains Busy with a Capital B!!

As the saying goes, "If you want to get something done, ask a busy man to do it." Well as the summer comes to a close the Kyle Pease Foundation is getting it done, because we are BUSY with a capital B. and as you may suspect, we wouldn't want it any other way. 

We start off the weekend of September 24 in beautiful Augusta, GA with the 70.3 Augusta 1/2 Ironman, where the double Justins, Justin Dugan and Justin Knight will be taking on the land of the famous Green Jacket. The duo have done some local races together under the KPF umbrella but this will be their first 1/2 Ironman together and the first time a KPF has participated in this awesome Ironman sponsored event.

Our Camp Wheel Away Annual trip to Winder, GA is just beyond the horizon as KPeasey and friends invade Camp Twin Lakes for one of my favorite weekends of the year. This is a great time for anyone with a disability to get away and focus on what we do best;  bringing inclusion to the forefront. The weekend gives all participant the opportunity to learn about the Foundation, while participating in biking archery, camp fires, boating running and Smores galore!! There are still a few openings, but space is limited. The weekend is 100% funded by the Kyle Pease Foundation and Camp Wheel Away. Campers with any type of disability are welcome. Apply on our website and join us for the weekend of October 10-12. 

Once we recover from our weekend as one with nature we are off to the Nation's capitol and the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC.  The MCM is the largest race that KPF competes in outside of GA. It is always an honor to be there with the marines and all the men and women that protect our freedom. To see the kids smiling from ear to ear all the way from the hotel to the starting line is an absolute highlight for me. Many athletes will be competing dressed in KPF blue, while Brent and I will be there to play the role of Commanders in Chief of the KPF army. Special thanks to the Ability Experience who will be competing with us as well.

Before we even catch our collective breath we will be off to the BIG Apple and the NYC Marathon. This year  will be very special as we have three athletes competing as this is the first year we opened it up to other members of the foundation. We are so proud of the other athletes and their families as we return to the scene of our now famous Broken Wheel.

We close out the fall season with our annual Bowling with KPeasey event which is the culmination of everyone's accomplishments for this incredible year. More details will be following in upcoming posts and on our Facebook page in the coming weeks. The event is highlighted by the awarding of the Jake Vinson Family Grant. We've received a record number of applications but will keep on accepting them until the end of September. Applications are available on our website. 

As always thank you for your support. We could not do this without your love, kindness and  generosity. Together We Wheel, Kyle!

KPF On The Rise During Busy Fall

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

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!