Half Ironman Triathlon for Rosedale Shelter

Hello!

My name is David. My Korean name is 이성재. I am a senior at Ames High and a youth rep on YSS' corporate board. But more importantly, I am a dreamer, a storyteller, and a believer in the idea every stranger is a friend you just haven't met yet. I know that love can change the world and that a dream is a vision you see that is beyond your line of sight, and certainly beyond other people's expectations. But it takes one person to believe in a dream for it to come true, and that person is yourself.

A year ago, I started dreaming about completing a Half Ironman triathlon a.k.a. the 70.3 (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, and 13.1-mile run). And so with no prior experience in competitive swimming, biking, or running, I began setting goals for the 22-23 school year that would help me train for the challenge.

I joined the swim team for the first time as a senior. I started biking to school and everywhere else most days, even in the winter, and have been casually running here and there. As of Wednesday 3/1, I have 100 days to train every single day and prepare physically for the triathlon.

I had the idea of fundraising on behalf of YSS and the Rosedale shelter and running this triathlon for them because I decided that when given the choice to fundraise for my registration fees ($468) and for a non-profit organization like YSS that I believe in and personally know their capacity to change youth's lives entirely, I would prefer the latter. So I saved up and spent my entire savings from this year to register, and now I am asking you if you would make a contribution for the kids at the Rosedale Shelter that often have nowhere else to go, are in/about to go into the foster care or adoption care system, or are recovering from incidents outside their control.

I've been living alone for the past school year, as my mom moved three and a half hours away to teach choir at a school district in northwestern Iowa, my brother moved to North Carolina for college, and my dad has always lived in South Korea for his job supporting us from there. Suddenly, with a lot of time to self-reflect and manage home responsibilities myself, I have learned how much harder going about your day can be just to do the simple tasks of doing your homework, hanging out with friends, and taking time to explore the questions that give you purpose. But even so, I live comfortably, my parents support me financially, and whenever I need to talk to someone or ask others for help, I have a large group of friends and family that I can rely upon to receive the love I need.

But not everyone is that lucky. If you are reading this story, I'm sure you and I have very similar foundational stability and support from our loved ones, whomever that may be. Kids that have grown up without a stable household and family that they can rely upon to meet basic care, education, and love are everywhere, we just don't recognize them when we see them. Or if we do, we pretend that their needs are not our problems. Frankly, I can't blame you. Maybe it's not your problem to solve, but I wish you would lend them your ears to hear just how alike we all are, as people needing love and support, regardless of the circumstances.

I do not want your pity, and the kids at the shelter do not want your pity either. They want someone to love them and see a bright future for them, despite the conditions and life experiences they have had. Treat them with dignity, treat them with love, treat them as your friend.

Today, I'm here with a proposal for you to believe in my dreams of completing a triathlon, as well as the dreams of the kids at the Rosedale shelter. A portion of the monetary donations raised for this project will be used to buy necessities for the shelter and the kids, like food, clothes, and hygiene products. The other portion will be used to start a fund that invests in their dreams, their ideas, and their passions. Because they have dreams too, even if you've never asked them to share it.

I hope you will believe in your dreams like someone else did for you a long time ago.

Love always,

David

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Email: [email redacted]

Phone: 5153577650