About The Athlete:
Isabelle Després is a Canadian weightlifter originally from Cocagne, New Brunswick. She now lives and trains in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She has achieved numerous success on the national level and now has her sights set on the 2012 Olympics in London, England. You can learn more about Izzy here: http://izzylifting.ca/about/the-athlete/
Why This Matters:
Athletes have to face considerable tests to their motivation, their personal life and their wallet in order to achieve their goals. In order to compete on the international level, Isabelle has to devote a lot time and money to pay for out-of-town competitions, coaching, time off work, travel and hotel expenses and much more. Each day of additional training takes her one step closer to the Olympics.
Why Support An Athlete?
Although an Olympic dream is a personal endeavour, by supporting Isabelle you're also supporting a national role-model. Everyone has something to learn from the drive and motivation of Olympic athletes. So many of us have an opportunity to chase a dream but we just don't know where to start or how to achieve it. Olympic athletes prove to us that our dreams are achievable.
What She Needs:
Isabelle doesn't have any corporate sponsors yet. Although she's received some governmental funding, it's not enough to cover all of the costs for training. One day devoted to training and conditioning costs up to $250 CAD. This campaign will help to fund two days of training!
There are coaching fees, gym fees, equipment fees, nutrition and therapy fees. There are times when she also needs to take time off from her day job so she can concentrate on conditioning, particularly right before a competition! We could ask for more but we'd rather keep it to a modest amount and encourage you to contribute just once or on a monthly basis (there will be more campaigns like this one throughout the year!).
Other Ways You Can Help:
Tell your family and friends! Share this with athletic clubs, coaches, retired athletes. Launch a fundraiser if you want! (If you do, tell us about it and we'll publicize it on the website!) If you can't help financially, you can visit Izzy's website and comment on her blog or send her a note of encouragement.
THANK YOU!
