Labor Day LCC Mini-Tri Re-cap

The day dawned ethereal; a perfect, genteel lady.  She wore a lace-cloud mantilla. With her delicate fan she wafted a cool, high desert perfume over the Mini-triathlon swimmers, bicyclists and runners.

At The Club at Las Campanas Fitness, Tennis and Spa, the excitement of the morning electrically threaded its way throughout those thoroughly focused and intent on organizing, racing, or cheering.

Marathoners were registered, numbered and marked by 7:45 a.m.  Swimmers formed a queue to begin the three-event Mini-triathlon. Bicycling team mates were tagged by swimmers and left from the fenced bicycle “cage” for that portion of the marathon.  As bicyclists returned, runners sprinted off for the final 3.03-mile event of the marathon.

Once the final marathon runner returned, as if on cue, the morning’s genteel lady departed and her boisterous, bright sister graced the crowd with hearty joy and sunshine for the awards ceremony. Images were captured of the smiling faces of yellow-clad volunteers, victorious marathon participants, and the LCC families they all were supporting.

Photographs of the Las Campanas Compadres 5^th annual 2013 Mini-Triathlon are shared on the LCC website (www.lascampanascompadres.org).  Click the tab “Events and Photos” to see the Mini-Tri’s images stored on “Shutterfly”.

The Las Campanas Compadres Facebook page has additional images of the Labor Day annual fundraising events, including the Pasta Dinner. You can see those at https://www.facebook.com/lccsantafe  in the “photos” section.

Culminating on Mini-Tri Day is the spirit of caring for and giving to others, which propels the intense and detailed machinations of well-organized teamwork.

Perhaps the profound thanks (which truly is beyond words) to the many people who make the annual fundraiser become a successful reality, (The Club at Las Campanas staff, financial sponsors, auction donors, organizers, volunteers, and the race participants) is best expressed in the happy, proud, and carefree faces of the riders and swimmers who take part in the Las Campanas Compadres programs all year round.  When you give of yourself, these special people are able to achieve goals that make their lives richer, fuller and more meaningful.

What’s Behind the Las Campanas Compadres Annual Labor Day Fundraising Event?

The culmination of a great deal of effort results in each Las Campanas Compadres Mini-Tri Day.  It takes an immense quantity of time and an army of people organizing, donating, and volunteering to make LCC’s annual charity event happen. A myriad of to-do’s are divided between many dedicated people to create and host a successful fundraising event.

Planning meetings begin early in the year. Las Campanas graciously agrees to host the events. Posters, letters, flyers are designed. Andie Talmadge takes on the job to be the organizing agent of the Mini-Tri.  As summer approaches, communication erupts, and the public starts to hear about the LCC Labor Day event.  World-class auction items are generously donated by sponsors.  T-shirts and goody bags are ordered. The pasta dinner is arranged at the Club at Las Campanas. The LCC home page, blog, and Facebook sites are updated. Word gets out via e-mail, online, newsletters, newspaper articles, mailings, radio, community outreach, and by word of mouth.

Once a year, people are asked to financially support LCC programs to keep therapeutic riding and swimming programs free to the disabled students who benefit from the lessons year-round.  The LCC website at www.lascampanascompadres.org has an easy “Donate via Paypal” link, and the address at Las Campanas Compadres, Inc., 15 Buckskin Circle, Santa Fe, NM 87505, is the destination for mailed-in donations.

An exciting new fundraising facet entered the scene for this, the 5^th annual Las Campanas Compadres Mini-Triathlon.  Las Campanas Compadres founders, Lawrence and Suzanna Becerra, introduced a new and easy avenue for LCC supporters and fundraisers to reach out to family, friends, and business associates.  They tapped into a creditable and proven online fundraising site called “CrowdRise” and created a Mini-Tri fundraising site at:

http://www.crowdrise.com/fundraise-and-volunteer/the-team/lccminitri/ .

For the first time this year, using CrowdRise, LCC fundraisers (Mini-Tri teams, LCC families, local businesses, and Las Campanas personnel) set up their individual area on the Becerra’s LCC Mini-Tri site. They raise funds for LCC programs by directing their family and friends to the website so donors can easily make monetary contributions to the online Las Campanas Mini-Tri Fundraiser CrowdRise site.

The Las Campanas Compadres Mini-Tri weekend is about people coming together to support a positive and worthwhile 501-C3 organization.  An excited and enthusiastic crowd of people gather early on Labor Day to watch and cheer for the marathoners who arduously swim, bicycle or run for an excellent cause.  The people who assemble at the Club at Las Campanas by 8 a.m. on Labor Day are there to race, to volunteer to help the morning run smoothly, and to enthusiastically cheer each competitor on.

The enormous team effort and work behind the annual Mini-Triathlon assures that Lawrence and Suzanna Becerra’s vision of “People Helping People Reach New Heights” continues to be a reality. In essence, their vision becomes a reality each and every time Dave and Karen teach a therapeutic swimming or riding lesson and volunteers help a disabled student succeed to reach their goals and have fun in a beautiful setting.

The spirit of the annual LCC Mini-Tri is the satisfying essence of celebration, community, and good will. Those who have donated time, energy, and financial resources care about the goals of Las Campanas Compadres. Their fine, combined efforts benefit each disabled participant and the families of LCC.

Cheers to all who have given of themselves and have already made the 2013 LCC Mini-Triathlon fundraiser a success!