Update {4.29.2015}
Over the weekend, we asked our kids to tell us how YES3 has made an impact in their lives and here's what they had to say.
Here's another video that'll show you how our kids are taking part in our other triathlons and are striving to succeed!
With 61 hours left on the clock, you can still be a part of providing our kids a chance to compete at nationals that will be life-changing experience for them. We ask that if you have the time, please share our cause and if you can, donate.
Here are easy 2-step instructions you can use to share:1. Copy and paste this to your Facebook/Twitter:
I've supported YES3 because [insert why this cause matters to you]. Will you help make a difference too? igg.me/at/yes3
2. Post! It's that simple.
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It's not too late to help us fund what's left to reach our goal. Every dollar brings us a step closer to making these kids' dreams come true!
Also, thank you to everyone who has contribute to our campaign! We couldn't have made it this far without your kind support. Wishing you a great day ahead!
Sincerely,
YES3 Team
A Brief Summary
Hi! My name is Mark Caballero and I want to help the youth of Milwaukee live healthy, active lifestyles, through the YES3 Youth Empowered to Succeed Triathlon Team. I attended Marquette University, studying Exercise Physiology, and now I am finishing my Masters of Science in the CTRH program.
I had the opportunity to combine my two passions: the sport of triathlon and supporting a healthy, active lifestyle among children. As a certified triathlon coach, I have helped a number of students and individuals train to finish races, improve from their previous efforts, or even, try to win a race.
This campaign is not about money. It’s about the kids and the fact that they want to be a part of a community that is supportive of an active lifestyle. Regular exercise and healthy eating prevents diabetes or having joint pain, even at a young age. Our program provides more opportunities for our kids to be excited about sport, exercise, and teamwork.
By bringing YES3 to Ohio, we are able to promote our program on the national level, setting a standard for other movements helping children achieve healthy, active lifestyles.
Contributors will directly impact their lives. For some kids, finishing one of these races has been one of the biggest accomplishments of their lives. Your contribution will help to develop confidence and enthusiasm, on an unparalleled level. We have seen huge success so far. For some, this may be the first time that their weight does not increase. And others may find how to push themselves further than they thought was possible. One thing is for sure: we do not yet know the full extent of positives that our program offers—we continue to be amazed. Thank you to everyone who invests in the future health of our kids.
What We Need & What You Get
The remaining funding needs are transportation, meals, race entry fees, USAT licenses, hotels, and miscellaneous equipment. As it stands, we need to raise $6,050.
The major perks include:
- Taking you out to breakfast
- YES3 Groundbreaker sticker!
- YES3 t-shirt hand-signed by our kids
- Workout with the YES3 crew
- YES3 USB/Dog tags (very popular with kids these days!)
- Shout-outs on Facebook and Twitter to publicly thank those who invest in our cause
- Sing you your favorite song!
We are committed to reaching our goal, but if we are unable to make it to the race then we will be able to continue our programming until 2016. This will also allow us to do more local races over the summer of 2015.
The Impact
YES3 is incredibly impactful on the kids, for their self-confidence, sense of belonging, personal and team development, and realization of their dreams. We structure our program to be appropriate for each child: we start out teaching them how to swim (a challenge in itself!) to develop some fitness, then progress to the bike so that they can develop lower extremity (leg) strength. Finally, we move into the walk/jog/run part in the last month or so before our first kid’s race.
We did a pilot study in the fall/winter of 2013-2014; we were able to work with 6 kids fully for that time period. The younger groups wanted to join in! Now we have 19 kids to program. We use professionals to teach (USA Triathlon certified coach and CSCS strength training coach), monitor (access to MD, physical therapist, licensed athletic trainer), and also employ the help of knowledgeable university students (UW-Milwaukee and Marquette University). We’ve also developed partnerships in Milwaukee to ultimately expand this to a city-wide league to allow more opportunities for low socio-economic youth to participate in a team setting. Our program has partnered with courses in social media and business entrepreneurship.
Finally, this program sets the groundwork for other groups across the country to build a program that fosters a healthy, active lifestyle. Our methods develop safe and effective swimming, bicycling, and running skills. In order to lead other programs with credibility, we must also have access to adequate equipment, such as new or lightly-used running shoes, swimsuits, goggles, etc.
We’ve been funded by General Mills (Local WI chapter) and USA Triathlon (the national governing body of triathlon). We have received excellent support for this program so far, but we still need your help!
We started programming and realized that these kids may not have had the same opportunities as we expected. Since then, the kids have learned how to swim, how to safely ride on the street while following the laws of the road, and they’ve come to understand the importance of good running shoes in terms of joint-protection.
Ultimately our goal is to continue to provide life-changing programming that exposes the sport of triathlon, in a physiologically-safe manner, to urban minority youth.
We need your help to spread the word. Help to change the lives of these kids. You may not be able to contribute financially, but
by spreading the message, you are making a difference!
My Story
Hi, I'm Matt Lenahan, co-manager of the YES3 Triathlon crowdfunding campaign. YES3 couldn't be a better fit for me. I struggled with weight as a child at the same age as the YES3 kids. Classmates picked on me for my size and didn't include me in sports games because I was the overweight kid. I had a hard time understanding why some people treated me so harshly, which led to me questioning my self-worth. I spent more time focusing on my deficiencies than on my talents because they made me feel inadequate. I wanted to overcome the criticisms and and felt hurt from not being accepted by my peers. My conclusion was that I needed to be faster, stronger, and leaner than the other kids in order to fit in.
Beginning in sixth grade, I set out every day to get in shape. I began not being able to run a mile, but eventually pushed myself to running 7 to 10 miles each day in eighth grade. Soon enough, I began to see a transformation in my overall appearance, which built my self-confidence. I kept on working out profusely, doing a thousand crunches and hundreds of pushups each day, without missing a single workout. I would run, whether the weather permitted rain, shine, or snow.
I went from being the kid, who was made fun of for being overweight, to becoming the kid who no one seemed to recognize anymore. To this day, I show others pictures of me in grade school, but no one ever believes I am the same person. Getting in shape wasn't the key to my transformation. Learning what to do and how to achieve a dream was the more important lesson.
After going from inactive to active every day, I realize my life is forever changed. I will never again allow myself to live an unhealthy lifestyle and will do whatever I can to help others achieve their dreams, especially those that promote a healthy, active lifestyle. That is why I now coach high school football, an immense passion that allows me to help young people better themselves and have a tremendous support system. I will be coaching as an assistant at Brookfield Academy this fall.
YES3 Triathlon is an excellent organization built by truly caring individuals, matched by enthusiastic young people, who have the entire world ahead of them. They need our help to get to the Youth and Junior USA National Triathlon Championships to realize their dreams.
If you ever had a goal you wanted to achieve, please remember it and the people who helped you reach it. Understand that you and I are these people for the YES3 kids.
Let's open doors for them.
"Help one kid at a time. He'll maybe go back and help a few more. In a generation, you'll have something."
- Al McGuire
Be The Difference,
Matt Lenahan
Co-Manager, YES3 Triathlon Indiegogo Campaign