7-11 Tri-Kids Summer.jpg

Lake Oconee Breeze

GREENSBORO— Tri-Kids Greene County kicked off their third year this month with a five-week summer program at Parks Ferry. Tri-Kids Inc. was founded in 2006 in East Atlanta and expanded into Greene County in 2011. Earlier this year they continued their growth and expanded into Hall County.

A fundamental principle of Tri-Kids Inc. is that every kid who works hard, shows commitment and meets behavioral goals deserves the opportunity to pursue their dreams. Triathlon (swim, bike, run) is the vehicle that was chosen by Tri-Kids founder David Dashiell to demonstrate to the kids that if they follow these principles, they can achieve things that first appeared impossible. As 14-year-old Dasiania Bell explains, “Tri-Kids has opened many doors for me. I never thought I would be doing things I never dreamed of doing.”

A typical day in the summer program begins with breakfast at 7:30. After breakfast, the kids review their progress and their game plan on the goals they committed to accomplishing. Adjustments are made to their plans and then the kids head out on a one-two mile run through the park. On return, the kids head out on their bikes for a five-10 mile ride on the local roads before returning for a swim workout in the lake. The day closes with a fun activity like kayaking or water polo and a review of the next steps in their college project over lunch. 15-year-old Divad Dewitt says, “We work very hard, but Tri-Kids has helped a lot of us out with school, home and things of that nature. My grades in school are good because of Tri-Kids.”

Each Tri-Kid has completed a “Dream, Believe, Achieve” card that includes three things they dream about, three things they believe in and three things they want to achieve in the next 12 months. The most common dreams listed by the kids are: going to college, owning their own company, “making a difference” and being rich. The most common things the Tri-Kids believe in are: God, “my dreams will come true if I work hard” and “helping others”. The most common things they want to achieve this year are: higher grades, better triathlon times and “being the best I can be”. The “Dream, Believe, Achieve” card for each Tri-Kid is then laminated so they can carry it with them easily. Seventeen-year-old Amber Deveraux explains, “Being able to accomplish goals in a short period of time is a wonderful thing.” Twelve-year-old Mya Jackson adds, “I never thought I would make it this far and accomplish so much.”

Tri-Kids Greene County Vice President Debbie Cornelia explains, “We took a hard look at our business plan this spring and we wanted to make sure the lessons the kids were learning would have a lasting impact after high school graduation. More than 70 Greene County kids have participated in the program over the last three years but when we were honest with ourselves we really needed to get to know our kids on a deeper level if we wanted to help them achieve their dreams. As a result, we had to make some hard decisions in order to decide which 15 kids we could properly help, given our limited resources.”

Tri-Kids has established a scholarship fund. The kids are currently researching various colleges they’d like to visit this year and then will be making presentations to their teammates on why the team should visit their chosen college in a fun, “Survivor” elimination format. Expanding the mission to help the kids after high school is a big step and Tri-Kids Inc. is extremely thankful to Tom Kelly of the hugely successful Greensboro Dreamers for sharing his invaluable advice.

Tri-Kids Inc. looks forward to achieving the goal of “making a difference”, a goal they share with many of the kids in the program.