Why I’m involved with Beers N Burpees and you should be too
One of my favorite quotes of all time: “Service to many, leads to greatness” Jim Rohn
I’ve lived most of life by this mantra from Jim Rohn, volunteering where I can and giving back to the communities I’ve lived throughout my 32 years on this earth.
Spring of 2017, I was approached my Mike Dascal of Beers & Burpees about being an ambassador.
Beers & Burpees is a volunteer run charity event that donates 100% of its proceeds to Dream on 3, a local charity to make dreams come true for children with chronic illnesses, intellectual & developmental disabilities, or life-altering conditions by creating experiences of joy and magic through the world of sports.
The vision for the event came when Mike and his wife Laura opened up their house and had their friends over for an event 8 years ago. In the first year 2011, 50 people participated. By 2015, there was 200 people competing at Mike’s house and it was just too much (especially for his neighbors). In the first year, the donations were made to the Wounded Warriors Project. But when Mike met Brandon Lindsay, founder of Dream on 3, things changed. Mike shifted the focus by donating each year’s proceeds to Dream on 3 and actually began volunteering on a regular basis as well with Brandon and the team.
In 2016, they expanded their event away from their house and to Stax Charlotte. The move to a large venue meant more athletes and more money raised for Dream on 3. That year, we raised just over $30,000 for Dream on 3 and had 500+ participants.
Last year in 2017, the venue was held at CrossFit Charlotte but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s talk about this ambassador life. At Beers and Burpees, we work hard to get our name out in the community. Mike and Laura meet with sponsors during the work week and produced Demos at all the breweries after their run clubs. The 5k people would finish their run and then we would do an abridged version of the Beers & Burpees demo with donated beer from the brewery. Last year, we did 8 spots at places like Sycamore, NoDa, Legion and more.
On the day of the event, I was asked to emcee the event which I was totally fine with as I had hosted the 65 Roses event a Crossfit Surgo for my friend Chelsie and let’s be honest, I love being on the mic.
But after volunteering my time for countless hours from May to September, it wasn’t until the event actually happened until I realized I was a part of something special. I’ve competed in events before. Crossfit, Spartan, Triathlon, Marathon and everything in between.
You show up. Compete to the best of your ability. Get a t-shirt or medal and leave. Not Beers & Burpees!
What sets this event apart is that throughout the day, in between heats, we pause the entire event to grant wishes to kids that have submitted applications to Dream on 3
Last year, in between heats, we presented a young boy with a physical therapy bike. The bike was donated by Rifton Equipment and it helps him learn to gain use of his legs to be able to walk one day. Earlier this year, Jonathan got the opportunity to go visit his hero, Steph Curry.
After a few more heats, the culmination of the event was when we surprised 13 year old Ryan with a trip to see his favorite player, Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
We pushed everyone outside, behind the closed doors, and told him that he was just here to talk about his Dream on 3 application. But then we opened up the back door and to his surprise, in front of 500 people, we told him his sports dream was coming true! Unbelievable moment.
After my experience with the event, Mike, Laura and the entire team, I decided to join the BnB team in 2018 as a committee member. It’s been amazing to get a behind the scenes look at what it takes to to run the event, create an amazing atmosphere and reach our goal of $100,000 for Dream on 3.
So grab a friend and come be apart of the 3 Time Bob Award Best Charity Workout Event
Here’s some numbers to get you excited for our September 22nd Event:
- Projecting over 1,000 participants
- Participants from over 40 gyms
- 30+ Sponsors contributed
- 20 Co-hosting gyms (sending at least 10 teams)
- NoDa Beer Garden featuring new Beer & Burpees Vienna Lager Beer
- 5 Food Trucks serving food
- Free Kids Zone including Bounce houses and more
HEAT TIMES STILL AVAILABLE
SIGN UP at www.beersandburpees.com