Vince Lombardi said: “Individual commitment to a group endeavor – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” Breakthrough T1D could not agree more. This month we recognize the strength and energy of an extraordinary group that is very important to our Chapter. Active Charity was founded in 2005 by four Chico State graduates – Jason Skeoch, Dan Michie, Rob Nowacek (pictured) and Ryan Ashburn. Together with two other members, Pace Link and John Kay, they focus on local issues and charitable organizations benefiting children.
Dan says, “When we started Active Charity, we chose to support Breakthrough T1D simply because Loren Lingenfelter [East Bay Branch Board President] gave us his Breakthrough T1D pitch. We knew we wanted to support something important but JDRF’s high efficiency ratings and cold hard facts were instrumental in us feeling like our hard work would not simply pay for huge bureaucracy and overhead.”
Soon the group was planning their first Summer Classic & Backswing Bash to raise money needed to fund research for better treatments and a cure for diabetes (T1D). The event continues to be their largest annual event. Dan says, “Once we got involved, our focus changed. We began to meet the families that deal with the disease every hour of every day. Once we understood how T1D affects the lives of the whole family, we knew Breakthrough T1D was a cause we could support. To Active Charity, finding a cure would mean that parents could sleep a little better without having to worry about a child having complications while they sleep.”
The 7th Annual Summer Classic & Backswing Bash takes place on August 17, 2012 at Wente Vineyards. To learn more about Active Charity, visit www.activecharity.com
