Starfire Gymnastics Fund Going Viral (?)
Posted on April 19, 2008
This is totally not about church or tech but it is about something I’m involved in and passionate about.
I have to start at the end, then I will backfill with details. If you follow me on twitter (@jimwalton), then you may have seen a little bit about this already, but it is hard to tell the whole story in 140 characters or less. So this is the unabbreviated version of the story.
Our 2 daughters, ages 12 and 9, are competitive gymnasts and they both do really well. They have both been doing this for the past 4 years or so and it’s really amazing what they and their teammates can do. This team of pre-teen girls work really hard and it shows at the meets, considering they tend to dominate their competition. Their coach expects them to put out their very best, both in and out of the gym and it shows.
Beyond being extremely proud of my 2 girls and the work they do, there is a greater reason why I tell you this. We currently are part of our local YMCA, yet the facility does not have a dedicated gymnastics area. It is shared with basketball, volleyball, cheer, twirling and probably some other activities. Three times a week, the coach, team parents and the team girls pull all of the equipment out of a closet and set it up. In case you don’t know, this includes all kinds of mats, uneven bars, balance beam and a vault. Practice goes from about 3-8, technically 7 or 7:30 because the gym floor has to be cleared and available by 8.
Our desire and intention is to step out from under the Y and open our own gym and this has been our intention for the last 2-3 years. This is not some crazy idea that we hope works out, this has been well thought out and researched. We have done market research and feel like we know our market and understand the reach that this type of thing will have.
Carthage, MO has a population of about 14,000 and Joplin, which is about 15 miles away is around 50,000. Yet, Joplin has a market area of nearly 500,000 people, meaning that many people from the surrounding area come to Joplin to shop and do business. That’s amazing when you consider it.
This area has a great need for a gym for gymnastics, cheer practice and twirling and it is something that even some of the schools could benefit from.
As I mentioned, we have been contemplating opening a gym for at least the last 3 years and the hurdle has always been money. We have coaches, an active team and even some equipment that we as a team own, not the Y, and the team is a member of the AAU, the Amateur Athletic Union, so we are lacking the facility and some additional equipment.
The bottomline
We would like to raise money to help us reach this goal. Our first goal is to raise approximately $700 to obtain 501c3 non-profit status. From there, all money donated will go to the cost of a building and it will be tax deductible.
We have considered the Twitter community and it seems that something like this could go viral, which would be ideal. If everyone gave a small amount, it would quickly add up, plus once the first $600 is raised, then it’s all tax deductible.
The business will be managed by my wife and I, plus the coach will play a role in the leadership of the company as well. There are others willing to be a part of this at some level, but the management and decision making will be done by ourselves and the coach. We quickly determined that too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth, so to speak, so we intend to alleviate that. Of course, an investor could definitely have input in the direction this organization takes, but at the moment, I can’t speak to that since we don’t have that situation yet. We are looking into venture capital or other type of outside investors, but we thought a good place to start would be Twitter and this blog.
If you see the value in what we are doing and you are able, we ask for a donation of any amount. Plus, if you are on Twitter, we ask you to help us spread the word. We set up the user @tweetathon as a way to get the word out on Twitter. Mary, aka @thetechnodiva, is sharing information there about the importance this kind of thing is to the kids, plus we have a site set up here with other specific details.
A Twofold Request
Let’s take this viral, what do you say?
Here is what I’m asking of you:
- Spread the word about this effort, on your blog and on Twitter, with links to:
- Give to the cause, any amount is greatly appreciated. (We are open to talking with any investor who sees our vision for this and wants to be a part of this effort.)
Check out the website to see pictures and video of our girls and read more about our plan. It’s in God’s hands and I know He will make it what it needs to be, in His own way.
There will be video up on the site soon showing our tear-down process and other aspects of our program.
By the way, there is no financial gain for any individual in this fundraising, every dollar donated goes to setting up the 501c3 and the building, with the exception of the PayPal fee. If you would like to send a check, leave a comment and I will send you the address to mail it to.
Also, pray with us as we seek to do God’s will in this.
Thank you, I’ll report back how things go.
Money Needed to achieve 501c3 status under the Amateur Athletic Union
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