GoodLife Spin4Kids - Helping Kids with Special Needs
(left to right – John, Vithya, Tanya, Celestial, Andrea, Julie, Lakshan)
On Saturday November 16th, a team of our intrepid – and fit – superheroes participated in the Goodlife Spin4Kids charity event. The proceeds from the event go to help kids with special needs thrive through physical activity and fitness. 655 teams from across Canada joined the event with the goal of raising $1,000,000.00. Our team's goal was $1000, and we actually raised 173% of that - $1,725!
Team members individually raised funds towards the team goal. Some tapped friends and family. Some used the reach of social media. Some – while believing deeply in the cause – just didn’t have it in them to ask people to sponsor them … so they sponsored themselves. Integral Group also sponsored some members.
At the event, each team member took part in one or more intensive exercise class(es) – details about the classes are on the image at the end of this post.
Vithya brought the event to the attention of our giving back committee with the suggestion that we participate. The event resonated with her first because she was born in a third world country -Sri Lanka- that has no meaningful support for kids. The situation is exponentially more dire for children who have special needs and as a result, many babies and orphans die. This was brought even closer to home for her as she has a family friend with cerebral palsy (now 16 years old) who struggles to cope in that society.
Vithya enjoyed the Spin4Kids event and found it energizing but the big takeaway for her was greater than that. The workout was tough, and the next day everything was an effort; although she slept much of the day, when awake, she found moving - standing up, climbing stairs – required will power. That brought home something important: “You realize that you take day-to-day activities for granted – basic things like moving around and dressing.”
Andrea, too, participated for a reason very close to home. Her son Adam has high functioning autism. Their family was fortunate to have caught it early and are able to provide Adam with the needed support so that he can flourish. But she recognizes that “not all families can do that, so a cause that supports kids – especially with special needs – is something I wholeheartedly endorse.” As part of her fundraising, Andrea posted to Facebook and was able to reconnect with a cousin who saw her post, believed in the cause and sponsored her. Friends and family joining together to help: We feel like this story underscores that ‘it takes a village’.
Because of space limitations in this post we’ll just give you highlights from the rest of the team.
Tanya said “…it’s a good cause and something I could do … and it was fun!’(Those of you who look very carefully, and read our blog posts, will notice that Tanya has continued her attention to hair elastic detail – red and white at the bottom of her pig tails) .
This great cause spoke directly to things near and dear to Celestial's heart. “I thought it was a pretty cool idea raising money for kids with special needs and funds go towards any physical activity and fitness. Fitness is such a huge part of my life so I'm always happy to see and support an organization that gears towards being active and living a healthy lifestyle. It's always nice to see kids being active and not constantly glued on their phones or any electronic device”.
Julie said that both the cause and the physical fitness aspect propelled her to join: “Kids are special and anything to do with them pulls at my heartstrings. This also fits where I am personally in my own journey towards being fitter.”
John echoed a sentiment expressed by everyone about the value of team events. “I’m a big believer in company events and will always sign up and participate if I can.”
Lakshan talked about what a tough workout it was – “I’m sore as hell and this reminds me not to slack off!” He participated because it was a good charitable cause and a great opportunity to spend some time with his co-workers outside of the office.
After the event the GoodLife Kids Foundation invited us to encourage registered charities in our community to apply for a grant of up to $10,000 through their Grant Program. They accept applications for grants to support physical activity and fitness programs for kids with autism and intellectual disabilities in communities across Canada.
Team members individually raised funds towards the team goal. Some tapped friends and family. Some used the reach of social media. Some – while believing deeply in the cause – just didn’t have it in them to ask people to sponsor them … so they sponsored themselves. Integral Group also sponsored some members.
At the event, each team member took part in one or more intensive exercise class(es) – details about the classes are on the image at the end of this post.
Vithya brought the event to the attention of our giving back committee with the suggestion that we participate. The event resonated with her first because she was born in a third world country -Sri Lanka- that has no meaningful support for kids. The situation is exponentially more dire for children who have special needs and as a result, many babies and orphans die. This was brought even closer to home for her as she has a family friend with cerebral palsy (now 16 years old) who struggles to cope in that society.
Vithya enjoyed the Spin4Kids event and found it energizing but the big takeaway for her was greater than that. The workout was tough, and the next day everything was an effort; although she slept much of the day, when awake, she found moving - standing up, climbing stairs – required will power. That brought home something important: “You realize that you take day-to-day activities for granted – basic things like moving around and dressing.”
Andrea, too, participated for a reason very close to home. Her son Adam has high functioning autism. Their family was fortunate to have caught it early and are able to provide Adam with the needed support so that he can flourish. But she recognizes that “not all families can do that, so a cause that supports kids – especially with special needs – is something I wholeheartedly endorse.” As part of her fundraising, Andrea posted to Facebook and was able to reconnect with a cousin who saw her post, believed in the cause and sponsored her. Friends and family joining together to help: We feel like this story underscores that ‘it takes a village’.
Because of space limitations in this post we’ll just give you highlights from the rest of the team.
Tanya said “…it’s a good cause and something I could do … and it was fun!’(Those of you who look very carefully, and read our blog posts, will notice that Tanya has continued her attention to hair elastic detail – red and white at the bottom of her pig tails) .
This great cause spoke directly to things near and dear to Celestial's heart. “I thought it was a pretty cool idea raising money for kids with special needs and funds go towards any physical activity and fitness. Fitness is such a huge part of my life so I'm always happy to see and support an organization that gears towards being active and living a healthy lifestyle. It's always nice to see kids being active and not constantly glued on their phones or any electronic device”.
Julie said that both the cause and the physical fitness aspect propelled her to join: “Kids are special and anything to do with them pulls at my heartstrings. This also fits where I am personally in my own journey towards being fitter.”
John echoed a sentiment expressed by everyone about the value of team events. “I’m a big believer in company events and will always sign up and participate if I can.”
Lakshan talked about what a tough workout it was – “I’m sore as hell and this reminds me not to slack off!” He participated because it was a good charitable cause and a great opportunity to spend some time with his co-workers outside of the office.
After the event the GoodLife Kids Foundation invited us to encourage registered charities in our community to apply for a grant of up to $10,000 through their Grant Program. They accept applications for grants to support physical activity and fitness programs for kids with autism and intellectual disabilities in communities across Canada.
