Triathlete inspires others to raise funds for Caring Connections

We are all motivated in different ways. Some prefer facts and figures while others are moved by the personal stories of others. For triathlete Bob Schmid, both facts and personal stories motivated him to raise awareness for orphans and reduce the financial barriers preventing kids with special needs from getting adopted. The funds Bob raises go towards Caring Connections, which offers grants for local Illinois families adopting kids with special needs through Bethany Christian Services, as well as post adoption counseling support.

In fact, Bob is an adoptive father of two children. He and his wife, Sally, adopted their son, Ben, from China in 2008 when he was 3, and they adopted their daughter, Mary, from Ethiopia in 2012 when she was 7. Both children had special placement needs.

Here are some basic facts on the orphan crisis, both here in the USA and abroad. There are roughly 400,000 children in the US foster care system. Of that number, approximately 100,000 are waiting to be adopted according to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System. Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption has reported that of the children waiting in foster care, 30,000 age out every year, without families. According to the Christian Alliance for Orphans, 15.1 million children worldwide have lost both parents (“double orphan”). Bethany Christian Services currently works with the following countries China, Colombia, Liberia, South Africa, and South Korea and there are many children waiting for a loving family.

Bob has been raising funds through triathlons and multi-day bike rides since 2013. This year will be a unique year because his daughter, Mary, will be doing a triathlon with him for the first time. Bob’s passion for raising awareness and funds has also motivated an adoptive father from Bethany Christian Services, Keith Bosker, to participate as well. It does not stop there however.

Bob’s son Ben will be doing the duathlon alongside Alison Lamsma, an Adoption Specialist at Bethany Christian Services. In fact, Alison’s family will be participating as well. This will be a special race because Alison was the case worker for Ben’s adoption.

When asked what really motivated his children to participate, Bob stated, “Both Mary and Ben have big hearts. They were both adopted and have visited a number of orphanages in Ethiopia and China with me and my wife, Sally. They have met and interacted with the kids in these orphanages. Ben and Mary want to see these kids get adopted into a loving family just like they were.

Bob hopes to raise $15,000, including his dollar-for-dollar match on the first $5,000 donated to his family or any of the other Team Bethany Participants. Bob actually provides the initial match because he wants donors to know that he is also investing his financial resources alongside the donors in the cause. Since 2013, Bob has raised $50,000 for Caring Connections.

So what does it take to survive and successfully complete a triathlon? Well, according to Bob, he and his daughter Mary are running 3 to 5 miles twice a week and biking 20 miles once a week. He went on to say, “Mary and I are also swimming 1,000 yards once a week. Keep in mind that my kids are doing all this at the age of 13. I do not think I even knew what a triathlon was at the age of 13.”

He recalls his first triathlon, “It was the Naperville Sprint Triathlon. It is a good first one to do because of the shorter distance relative to the Olympic lengths triathlons. However, the shorter distance did not stop me from panicking in the water! I also panicked in the water on my first Olympic length triathlon in Lake Zurich. That swim is just under a mile. When panic set in, I just swam on my back and prayed. Once my breathing regulated, I moved on.”

On August 5th, Naperville Sprint Triathlon will take place. If you would like to donate, please visit https://secure.ministrysync.co to donate to their cause.