Are you Playing Like a Champion Today?

Today is the clashing of two of the most momentous days of the 365 that make up our annual calendar...the calendrical equivalent of The Perfect Storm...that's right, today is the day that the Super Bowl meets Ground Hog Day....Essentially this is what would happen if scientists were able to cross Joe Montana with Bill Murray. When the Punxsutawney Phil meets Phil Simms. 

And in honor of such a day I've opted to share a bit of KPeasey Wisdom. But first an update on what is on the horizon for KPF. 

As the foundation begins our 2014 season we cannot wait to step foot on the course and get things rolling in a positive and productive direction. We plan on making 2014 our best year yet with a lot of big surprises along the way. 

We are focused on turning the direct attention from Brent and me and making it more of a Family Focused Foundation. We do not and never have wanted the foundation to be about us but more so about the athlete's who wear the KPF logo. Like many teams the name on the front of the jersey is far more important than the name on the back of the jersey. The Foundation is about the Foundation and not about Brent and me.  To meet that end we need to focus on how to get more athlete's and their family's involved.  

As in the movie, Field of Dreams we believe that if you build it they will come and our foundation's platform is to get people to see what we have built and encourage their participation. It is important for all participants to get out onto the race courses enmasse', as we believe that with numbers we will grow even larger. 

During the weekend of March 15-17, the Kyle Pease Foundation will be appearing at the Abilities Expo where we will have a table throughout the three days and Brent and I will be presenting a work shop during the weekend. The goal of the event is to promote inclusion and to tell all attending guests about KPF and what we are hoping to accomplish. For those not familiar with the Expo it is a great place to learn about merchandise and services that assist the disabled community.  In fact, check out the cute man at the 5:30 mark of last year's AE video

We are amped beyond belief as we are preparing for the Publix Half Marathon which is our first big race of the year. At present we have fourteen athletes entered and we would love to increase that even more by race day. 

And now the much awaited KPeasey words of wisdom as the Seattle Seahawks are about to take on the Denver Broncos on the National Stage. I hope for a competitive game and encourage all participants to leave it all on the field because you never know if or when you will get back here again. 

Participating in the Super Bowl is not an anointed right. It is a privilege and in many ways is like competing in an Ironman. You set your sights on your goal early in the season and work tirelessly day in and day out towards that goal. The goal is to turn your team into a champion. 

The goal in sports and in life is to play like a champion in everything you do. As players run from the locker room to the field at Notre Dame University they are greeted with a sign with a very simple question, "Play Like a Champion Today." By adopting that mantra, Notre Dame has built one of the winningest teams in college football history. So I encourage you to live, love, laugh, work and play like a champion. 

My question to you is, "Are you playing like a champion today?" 

Spreading the Message of the Kyle Pease Foundation

Though Brent and I haven't started the race portion of our 2014 schedule that doesn't mean we haven't been very busy spreading the message of inclusion and the mission of the Kyle Pease Foundation. 

During the first two weeks of January we traveled to Baltimore and to St. Louis to speak before Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity and Push America. I was a brother of Pi Kappa Phi at Kennesaw State University so it was great to became acquainted with all my new brothers. 

Pi Kappa Phi's Pi Kappa Phi created Push America in 1977 as a way to instill a sense of service in each of its young leaders. With over 155 chapters fundraising a total of over $300,000 annually for Push America, Pi Kappa Phi truly excels beyond all other fraternities in philanthropic fundraising.  

Pi Kappa Phi remains the only Greek organization to have developed and maintain its own national philanthropy. Creative fundraising events like bike-a-thons, scaffold sits and pageants have helped the brothers of Pi Kappa Phi collectively fundraise over $15 million in support of Push America's programs.  

Brent and I had the amazing opportunity to speak to brothers from the east coast in Baltimore followed by brothers from the west coast a week later in St. Louis. We are able to share our story as a way to inspire and motivate the members to pour their hearts and souls into their philanthropic efforts. 

It was an amazing experience to speak to a bunch of college students and to impart our wisdom and teach them through our real life personal experiences that anything is possible. Our talks were well received and we were the recipients of several standing ovations during each event. That was flattering but we  are fully aware that it was the message that received the ovations and not Brent and I and that is the way we will forever want to be perceived. The message is bigger than Brent and I will ever be and we would not ever want that to change. 

We look forward to many more speaking opportunities this year to further spread the message. I envision this as the metaphoric equivalent of throwing a rock in the middle of a pond and watching the ripples spread from the epicenter. What KPF is doing in the Atlanta area is the point where the rock struck the pond and now it is especially encouraging to see the ideals spread to Baltimore, St. Louis, and the rest of the United States and the world. The ultimate goal and feelings of accomplishment is to see assisted athletes competing and experiencing the thrill of participation around the globe. 

Aside from our speaking experiences we are putting together the race schedule for 2014 and are excited that we already have 12 athletes to participate in the Publix race in the spring. If you know of anyone who wants to become a part of Walking with Kpeasey please have them email us. 

We would like to thank our publicist Todd Civin for the upgrades he made recently on our website including the launch of our KPeasey Storefront which he refers to as Shopping with KPeasey. 

We are always looking for ways to improve so if you have any suggestions please step forward and let us know. Thanks to everyone for continually striving to make us better. 

Love Kyle

The Best of KPeasey 2013....And Here's to the Year Ahead

Happy New Year. We hope that everyone enjoyed some time with their family and friends over the holiday season. 2014 will be nothing short of amazing for the Kyle Pease Foundation. As we get ready to start our race season next month,  we can't help but look back at the greatest moments of 2013 for KPF. 

Highlights of 2013

Brent and Kyle cruising around the corner of Virginia Ave. and 

Highland  Ave. during  Publix 1/2 marathon in March. 

KPF athletes during the John Tanner Sprint Triathlon in April. 

This marked the first time that KPF competed with multiple boats in the water. 

 Check out Corbin and his cool family at the Virginia Highland Summerfest in June. 

Brent and Kyle make history as the first ever assisted race 

team to compete in the Peachtree 10K Roadrace in July. 

15:09:24!

What an honor to be represented in the People's Marathon; 

The Marine Corp Marathon in October in the Nation's Capitol. 

Sweet little Marin knocking 'em down at Bowling with Kpeasey. 

And may the Best of 2014 be even more spectacular!!!!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from the Kyle Pease Foundation

Brent and I want to take a moment from the craziness of the holiday season to thank everyone who supported the Kyle Pease Foundation throughout the year and we wish you and your family the happiest of holidays. 

On behalf of the entire foundation we just want to say thank you.  We cannot convey through a blog post how much you mean to us and how much your smiles have helped us reach our goal . This is the beginning of a great journey for the Kyle Pease Foundation with goals to assist the community in any way that we can. 

We know that 2014 is going to be a great year and as we wrap up a very successful 2013 where countless lives were enhanced due to your efforts, it does not escape us for one moment that without each and every one of you we cannot have such a positive impact. 

So as you sit with family this season, regardless of what holiday you may be celebrating, please know that the greatest gift that you can give to the Kyle Pease Foundation is the one you have given to us from the moment you decided to begin Walking with KPeasey. Your love and support is priceless. 

Together We Wheel..... Bigger, Better, Stronger, Further than ever Before.

I am going to go out on a limb and admit that while watching our Bowling with KPeasey fundraising event earlier last month, there were several times that I thought of Twinkle Toes Flintstone chucking one down the alley at Midtown Bowl to pick up that nearly impossible 7-10 split. In reality, however, Fred was no where to be found but the pins were flying courtesy of the many friends, fans and family who attended our 4th annual fundraising event.

In bowling a perfect score is 300 and that is the number of guests we exceeded on that perfect evening as 300 enthusiastic Kpeasey supporters joined us for a night of pins, pizza, prizes and pitchers (of soda that is). For the night we raised over $18,000 which exceeded our expectations and will support a lot of children and disabled adults over the course of the next 12 months. 

We even had an appearance from Brian Jordan of Braves/Falcons fame who not only joined us but showed what a first class act he is by staying much of the evening and making himself accessible and open to anyone and everyone who approached him. He even donated a pair of signed cleats to the raffle and a Jessie Tuggle autographed lithograph. Not to mention that he made my armpits sweat and my knees knock as he came up and shook my hand (and you thought that was the smell of bowling shoes). 

Brent and I want to thank the students of Kennesaw State University who volunteered their time and did an amazing job of making people feel welcome and keeping things moving so that Brent and I could play the roles of gracious hosts. The evening would not have been a success without their efforts and we feel that they will be an even bigger part of our future in 2014 and beyond. 

I really feel that our foundation has turned the corner and the growth we experienced in 2013 will be dwarfed by what we do in 2014. Our goal remains to involve as many disabled people as possible and we feel our outreach will include not only children, but disabled adults, returning veterans and anyone who could benefit from Together We Wheel and the Kyle Pease Foundation. 

In a bitter-sweet moment we bid farewell to our Chairman Ben who is moving on to a new opportunity in the Holy Land of Bethlehem. Without Ben's leadership there would be no KPF Board and we wish him nothing but the best. 

His replacement at the top of the KPeasey board is Greg Smith who will bring us to a new level with his goal to get the Kyle Pease Foundation established in the business world in Atlanta and throughout the United States. Overall it is a very exciting time for the Foundation. 

Overall our event was an evening we will never forget until it is exceeded next year in size and kindness. Seeing the smiles on the faces of Teresa and Justin Knight, Jennifer and Aiden Jackson as we presented them to the crowd of onlookers was pinnacle of the fruits of our labors. Teresa and Justin ran the Marine Corp Marathon in October, while Aiden and Jennifer committed to joining them in October of 2014. The thought of seeing KPF runners blossom before our very eyes is the realization of a dream, a goal, a fantasy come true. Together We Wheel Bigger, Better, Stronger, Further than ever before.  

Below are a handful of additional photos that capture the magic of the evening...Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.