Rock The Band

Hi there, my name is Sam Harrison and I'm on the board of directors for the Kyle Pease Foundation. I'm also a worker, but most importantly, I'm a good friend to Kyle.  Recently I suggested to the board that we do a rock concert fundraiser to raise money for the foundation. This way I could combine two of my passions...rock n' roll and the Kyle Pease Foundation. 

Rainy night wasn't going to slow us down

 

I was pretty nervous going into the whole thing because I've never put on a full event on my own. There were so many different things I had to work out in order to make the night a success, but many late nights and emails later, the event came and went of without a hitch. We had 5 bands that volunteered their time for a great cause. A special thanks to those bands for sharing their music and time with us all!! 

I've known Kyle for almost four years, and as Kyle spoke he shared what friends, workers and supporters mean to him to help paint the bright picture of all our work.  

From photo left: Sam (me), Kyle, Ben Spears (Board Chair), Christina Young (KPF Athelte)

 

 One of the biggest parts of our night was the opportunity to introduce Christina Young, our newest athlete in person.  Christina who we introduced in our blog last week is quite the athlete and we are very proud to be a sponsor to her.

Christina chatting with Ben during the event

I cannot thank you all enough, our supporters, for coming out and helping make this event a success for KPF.  We look forward to seeing you all at our bowling event this fall and will be sure to keep you up to speed on new happenings for our foundation.

-Sam Harrison

Championship Athletes

The National Junior Disability Championships will take place from July 21-28, in Mesa, Arizona.  The Kyle Pease Foundation is pleased to sponsor Christina Young as she takes on the field in several events.  We recently sat down with Christina to ask her to discuss her upcoming competition.  Come out and meet Christina, at our event this Thursday, along with Kyle Pease and some great live music.

KPF Athlete Christina Young

KPF: What sports do you compete in? What event are you competing in as a KPF/Blaze athlete?

CY: I compete in wheelchair racing - road races as well as track and field. [I also] compete in wheelchair basketball.  I am competing in the National Junior Disability Championships where I will be competing in the track and field events including the 100, 200, 400, 800, shot put, javelin, and discus.

KPF: Wow! That's amazing!! Why did you start competing in sports?

CY: I started competing in sports at a very young age, after seeing my brothers play sports. I always wanted to play with them and beat them, so my family searched and found local wheelchair sports organizations. I always loved sports because of the enjoyment I get out of them, as well as all the new people I meet, and the pure feeling of competitiveness. But now that I am older, I also compete because of the health benefits of working out and playing sports. 

KPF: Being healthy is a great benefit and so is that thrill of competition. What/Who Motivates you?

CY: The fact that I love sports and will always love sports, as well as the competitiveness in me motivates me.  The strive to always be a healthy person also motivates me.   As well as the feeling when people who don't know about wheelchair sports realize what we can do.  

KPF: That is just awesome to see that inner drive.  We are so excited that you are racing under our banner as well as with your great team, Blaze Sports. What brought you to KPF/Walking?

CY: KPF came to a camp I was working at, Blaze Sports Camp, a camp for kids with disabilities. And when I heard Kyle's story, I knew that this was the kind of thing that is perfect for me to be a part of.   I knew it would be a better way for me to get out there and spread the word about what we can do, as well as I knew I could help spread the word about KPF around the country. 

Kyle speaking to Blaze Sports Camp

KPF: We appreciate that and hope that our future athletes have your same attitude and drive! What does KPF mean to you?

CY: It means that other people like me, with disabilities, have a chance to show the world we can compete in sports. [It means] that we can still run marathons, triathlons, and even a simple track meet. It means that If I want to do something, I should, and nothing should stop me or anyone else.

KPF: Well I wouldn't call a track meet simple :)  We are so proud to be behind you and along with all of our supporters, wish you nothing but the best.  We will be sure to post updates to facebook/twitter during your events and look forward to your race report after!

We hope to see many of you at our event this Thursday so we might continue to put more people like Christina Young into competition and share the thrill of the finish line.  We appreciate the opportunity to grow with you, our supporters, for it is you who make this all possible!

Best,

KPeasey

Hugs and Hand Pounds :)

Community

One of the first jobs I had was as Head Coach of the Riverside/North Harbor Swim Team.  I coached there for six great years and created some great memories.  During my time there, we used to hold a swim-a-thon to raise money for various causes in the community and it was always a great event for the kids.  After I left the team, all of the kids I worked with became the coaches and continued on with similar programs that we put in place during my time.  When I reached out to some of the team parents and coaches with the idea for a charity for their swim-a-thon, they jumped at the opportunity.

Kyle talking to the Riverside/North Harbor Swim Team

It was great to see the kids hanging onto every word Kyle said and the encouragement he sent to them to continue to provide for more kids.  It was very special to see the young kids that I had once coached speaking so highly of Kyle and turning their charity giving towards us.

Our first jumbo-sized check!!

The swim-a-thon was a tremendous success and the team raised more money than ever before!  We even had one of the former swim team moms jump in and raise over $1,500!  We cannot thank those in the community who help us continue to grow and reach our goals.  John Wooden said it best with his quote, "You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

Thank you to all the coaches, swimmers and parents of The Riverside/North Harbor Swim Teams.

-Brent

Working Together

Brent, Betty and Me before the swim

This past weekend Brent and I competed in the 11 Global Triathlon Series. This particular race was held in Lake Oconee, Ga. It felt  phenomenal to be out on the course. Our good friend Betty Janelle shadowed us the entire time and was the strength of our team on this day. She was simply awesome and gave us very encouraging words along with a good bit of yelling. (-; As we were racing, I kept thinking about our foundation and how we can attract more kids to race with us. Being at races like 11 Global is a big piece of this so we can continue to motivate those in our community and grow what we are doing.  This is not about me, I want to race for something bigger than that.  I want to see our foundation grow and bring joy to so many as I continue to experience day in and day out with this journey.   We are on the right track but still have to do the hard work to make this happen. 

Brent and Betty worked so hard on that swim!!

 Coming out of the water with our TYR Torque Swim Skin and Advanced Elements Kayak  was the perfect start to our day.  Betty was screaming at Brent to move, move, MOVE!!  It is always great to be a part of the wonderful Dynamo Multisport squad and racing alongside Betty was a tremendous honor.  

Betty never left that spot ALL DAY.  Look at Kathryn from Dynamo in the background with the Vuvuzela too!

Off to the Bike and we cannot continue to say enough great things about Freedom Concepts and the ride they put together for us.  We rode great and the support on the road was as special as always.  Betty told us after that, "seeing the looks on their faces was worth the price of admission."

 

 

The run course was cooking but as we turned the corner to home and heard the support of all those at the finish line I realized that another step forward was being made not just for me but for our Foundation and where we want to be!  I don't want to be the only one at that finish line...I want to bring that experience to so many more.

DIGGING it out.

We had a great sherpa crew along for the ride with, John David Johnson, my father, and Erica Pease doing a bang up job. We cannot say enough about our wonderful sponsors who make this all possible from the ground up with Newton Running, All3Sports, Gu, Albopads and 1st Choice Health Care. We look forward to the next adventure as Brent is preparing for his 2nd Ironman in August. 

Even more exciting is my good buddy Sam Harrison, also a board member, who is putting on a benefit concert on Thursday July, 12 at Park Tavern in Atlanta. Sam has worked extremely hard to bring more awareness to our foundation and our goals.  We look forward to celebrating with you all soon. If for some reason you cannot attend and still want to donate, there are ways to do that on our website race.kylepease.org/foundation. As always, thanks for the amazing support and we look forward to hanging out with everybody really soon.

 

-KPeasey

Camp Blaze

Camp Blaze is an amazing place, with an incredible purpose. To see so many disabled athletes from different backgrounds interacting and enjoying a variety of sports together really puts a smile on my face. It's like they don't even notice their disabilities and they were just out there to compete. I really look forward to seeing what the Kyle Pease foundation will do with Camp Blaze and the athletes who attend in the future. 
-Sam Harrison
Friend, Board Member

Kyle delivering his speech

First of all, I would like to thank the entire KPF team and all of the KPF board members for this awesome opportunity to work with Camp Blaze. Camp Blaze is a phenomenal organization (check out their video), and I couldn't be more proud of our involvement with a great group of athletes. One of the goals of The Kyle Pease Foundation is to support programs that are in line with our mission, which is to provide opportunities for disabled persons. Camp Blaze brings this together for so many! 

I am not what you would call a fisherman...

Being able to provide camp programs to those in need was extremely special and I was even more honored to speak with everyone at the closing ceremonies. It is incredibly important for the Kyle Pease Foundation to take a role in supporting these amazing athletes. 

Camp Blaze

We have an exciting few weeks coming up with a fundraiser from Brent's old summer swim team, another triathlon. We are continuing to search for new athletes so if you know of anyone you think would be a great candidate for the KPF, please email us. Thanks as always for the continued support!
#weallhaveagift
-KPeasey