I am a big believer in giving back. Not in the form of big cheques and public gestures but by getting involved and invested. For years my kids have been having Birthday parties where they raise money for charity instead of receiving gifts, my son has volunteered at the local food bank during the holidays, and we participate in many fund raising events. This past weekend was our latest, and we have all decided our new favourite, fund raising event, Nicola's Tri For Kids. This was the first year of the event and it was a massive success!

This particular event hits close to home as the money being raised for MFM Research at Sick Kid's Hospital is in memory of little Nicola Tullio, the daughter of a family in my community. Nicola passed away at the age of 2 from complications caused by a bone marrow transplant for MFM. Her parents, family, friends, and neighbours have worked tirelessly to bring this event to fruition and boy did their efforts pay off. With a goal of 300 participants and a fund raising goal of $10,000, they exceeded both with 380 participants and $17,000 raised.


But the primary objective of Nicola's Tri For Kids is for kids to have fun through sport and to attract as many first time tri-ers as possible. They definitely accomplished this! Kids could participate in a group as a relay or as individuals. Both of my kids participated and can't wait to do it again next year. With a fun, community vibe this event was more like a fun fair with a burst of intense exercise thrown in. Check out the fun: