It has been a FAST and FUN year since our founders had the idea to start Speed For Need. We have already pushed over 80 track commanders from WWII veterans, to Cancer survivors, to those affected by Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy and several other special needs. We have pushed these track commanders in over 25 races, been joined by over 1,000 men of F3 Nation and made progress in our mission of closing the gap between those with a special need and the fitness community. Pretty cool, right? We think so too, but much like the view that our track commanders have as they ride with us, we are not focused on where we have been, but where we are going…
The support we have had as we have brought Speed For Need to life has been more than we could have imagined. We are surrounded by so many incredibly talented individuals that have given so selflessly to help us in many ways. Additionally, the financial provision from hundreds of private donors and corporate matching programs has allowed us to make significant investments as we have tried to keep up with the incredible response to our cause. Our primary investments thus far have been in custom racing wheelchairs (8 total), trailers to haul them, track commander ‘swag’ and overall startup costs. Now that we have this established base of assets…what’s next for Speed for Need?
- We know that we will continue to follow our mission. ‘To raise awareness and foster inclusion of those with a special need through participation in fitness events supported by the men of F3 Nation’.
- We know that we will make every attempt to afford as many track commanders as possible the opportunity to cross the finish line with us
- We know that we will need more help to keep the momentum going…
One of our primary objectives right now is how we can ensure that we can financially fuel our future operating costs. We are looking at multiple fundraising opportunities including community engagement events and corporate partnerships. Our most promising opportunity right now was, once again, brought to us by one of our own F3 PAX.
The program that we are in contention for is through Daimler Trucks North America and it is part of their ‘Daimler Cares’ Corporate Giving program. Daimler trucks has a facility right here in the Charlotte area and has a unique way of running their program in that they empower their employees to determine the cause that they feel has the biggest opportunity to serve the local community. A financial infusion like what Daimler is offering could be a total game changer for us. This type of donation would cover our operating costs for over a year AND allow us to rebuild our financial reserves that have been depleted by the investments that we have made in our racing equipment. These costs will NOT go to paying employees as we are a 100% volunteer organization.
Our primary ask TODAY is that if you or anyone that you know is affiliated with Daimler Trucks please help us spread the word about our cause as a gift from a program like this is EXACTLY what we need to continue to grow our mission and serve those with special needs. Thank you to Daimler for allowing us to be considered as a potential recipient of the Daimler Cares funding!