Swimming, Cycling, Running And Giving

Jim Beadles, owner of Layflat Products LLC, a Shreveport La.-based mop manufacturer, founded a non-profit organization, “Tri Giving”, as a way to honor his brothers Larry and Steve, who both died of lung cancer. To Jim, Tri Giving is also a way to capture some of the energy of the triathlon community.

“Triathletes possess tremendous will, discipline, and human spirit, and I thought it would be good to work with other triathletes to help give something back to the local community,” says Jim, a nine-year triathlon veteran.

To the non-sports enthusiasts, a triathlon is a grueling endurance sport consisting of swimming, cycling and running.

Jim came up with the Tri Giving idea two years ago, as a way to marry the miles raced annually by triathletes with a particular charitable cause that has some meaning for a triathlon club. The first year of existence for Tri Giving was an organizational year. They filed for and received tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service.

The way it works is: Tri Giving approaches triathlon clubs, and asks the individual triathletes to get financial pledges for miles raced in a year. All the triathlete has to do is to get the pledges and inform Tri Giving.

At the end of the year, the triathlete reports to Tri Giving on the number of miles he or she raced. Tri Giving then sends invoices to those who made the pledges, collects the money, and gives the money to the triathlon club’s designated charity.

“We find out from the individual club which charity is of special interest to them, and 100 percent of the money the triathletes raise goes to the charity,” says Jim.

To make sure that all of the money pledged from individuals goes to a charity, “we solicit contributions from companies. We use corporate donations to cover Tri Giving’s very low overhead,” explains Jim.

Jim’s triathlon group in Shreveport, the Sunrise Triathlon Club, expects to raise about $10,000 in 2008.

“Last year my personal goal was to race 328 miles, but I was injured and was only able to race 210 miles,” says Jim.

That said, he personally raised about $5,000 for Tri Giving.

The Sunrise Triathlon Club decided that the money they raised last year would go to the American Cancer Society, “because cancer was something that really touched us,” says Jim. The daughter of one of the members was diagnosed with bone cancer. Also, cancer hit one of the triathletes directly.

“During our first race in May 2007, one of our club members couldn’t finish the race because he couldn’t breathe,” Jim says. “He was hospitalized, and it was discovered that a tumor on his lung was putting him into respiratory failure. He had hours to live.”

There’s a happy ending to the story, however. Having undergone medical treatment, the club member is healthy again. And, he’s back training with the club and will be participating in triathlons again this year. I bet he’ll be successful at raising money for Tri Giving, too.

Gretchen Roufs, an 18-year janitorial supply industry veteran, owns a marketing and public relations company in San Antonio. To suggest someone you think should be featured in “Freetime,” contact her at Gretchen@GretchenRoufs.com.