A runners’ 'high' is one of the best ways to feel happy – the release of endorphins relaxes the body and improves mood. Our incredible Community Fundraiser, Steve, runs for his own health, motivated and inspired by the young people we support. And, in so doing, Steve runs all over the UK, raising both funds and awareness for our cause.
Steve is a tireless supporter, a prolific networker, someone very well connected. He is an inspirational, innovative, and tenacious person with passion and empathy. His motivation is to both make a difference and motivate others, gather support, and really unite a community.
Steve is a family man, a beautiful wife, stepchildren, and grandchildren, but when you think of his 'family', it isn’t just his blood relations. He is someone who welcomes everyone into his family. In working with Teens Unite he has supported other fundraisers, volunteers, Beneficiaries and staff. He is someone who always has a smile, some sound advice, and broad shoulders. Newcomers are welcomed and shown the ropes. The cause is talked about with knowledge and passion and any nerves that anyone who comes to an event may have are soon dispelled with humour and genuine warmth.
Innovation and entrepreneurial skills are key for a Community Fundraiser, and Steve has these in abundance. If there is a way to make money out of an event or a fixture, you can bet that Steve will be doing so. National sporting events, National Holidays and even the National Lottery Bonus Balls are a way for Steve to tap into his connections and raise some money for the cause he supports with such passion.
Bingo, raffles, and race nights all bring together people in the community for an evening of fun and friendship, but always with a cause at the heart. Local business owners know Steve and his Charity work and are willing to support him with donations for raffles and auctions.
Steve has walked literally hundreds of miles for Teens Unite. Throughout the year he will walk the streets, in all weathers, delivering leaflets highlighting events and ways in which the community can come together to raise awareness and funds for the cause.
In 2019, Steve’s fundraising took him a little out of the Community he normally works in as he joined other Teens Unite supporters on an overseas challenge that saw them cycling over 350km through India’s Golden Triangle. Steve’s personal fundraising efforts for this event alone saw him raise almost £4,000, and together the team raised a phenomenal £82,000 for Teens Unite. While travelling through India, Steve and his fellow fundraisers worked with new communities, visiting remote villages along the way, and doing seemingly small jobs with the residents that will totally transform their lives and their livelihoods- planting trees and installing solar panels.
And now, even with the challenges of the Global Pandemic, Steve is still front and centre when it comes to raising awareness and funds for local causes. Last year, with the London Marathon postponed, Steve took on a marathon of his own, taking a circuitry route for twenty-six miles in and around the Community that he supports and is so central to.
Steve says he enjoys being able to come and meet the Teens Unite beneficiaries, saying this “is really rewarding and makes all the fundraising worthwhile” he also says that he is “motivated and inspired by the work of the Charity “ and this is what keeps him going. Teens Unite are inspired and motivated by Steve and feel very proud and very privileged to have his support.
If you would like to support us by taking on a challenge of your own, please contact us on challenges@teensunite.org
