Now, I know that many of you have probably already read the story in the Dispatch, seen it on the news of one of the local stations or read the official press release on the CBJ Foundation site, so I won’t recount all the details here. But if you have missed out on all of those you can find the whole story and information on the website here:
In addition to being able to donate directly, you can follow Tyler’s training blog and photo album, check out the gear he’ll be using, read up on the Ironman event (you know, in case YOU want to try it…) and send Tyler messages.
You might be thinking, “That’s a great cause, I’ll donate if I get a chance.” But admit it – how many of you thought the same thing about the “Hockey Beats Down Breast Cancer” tournament last weekend? Or about some other event or cause you have seen or heard about and then just never got around to doing it? I’ll admit it…I do it all the time, I forget about it 2 minutes later and never actually do it.
I bet even more of you are thinking, “What do I care? The season sucked, we need a coach and a laundry list of players, the Arena issue is still a mess and the economy is in the basement. I buy raffle tickets to support the Foundation at the games. I’m not made of money, why should I do anything more?” Well, let me tell you, that is a valid question and I really don’t have a good answer for you….. But I do have a few names…. Noah, Olivia, Matthew, Chase, Hannah, Seth, Ryan and my daughter Coryn. And if you are so inclined and have a few dozen hours to kill, I can tell you their stories, because they are just a few of the kids whose lives have been touched and in some cases irrevocably changed by the Hats For Heroes program.
Team Tyler is counting on all the “little people” doing what they can to make this something special. Sure, there will be checks with lots of zeros written by businesses and individuals who can afford to do so. But in talking with Tyler about this, I know it is the cans of pennies saved up and sent in by kids, and the dollars and quarters collected at yard and bake sales that he is really excited about.
So, I challenge you, this summer, to find a way to do something special for Team Tyler; no matter how big, no matter how small. Make it a family project, get your kids involved… My family and I are going to bus tables at a local pizza place for tips. Don’t have kids? That’s ok, you’ve got drinking buddies don’t you?? I’m sure you can come up with some ingenious ways to pool your spare change. Every little bit counts, $1, $5, etc.
