The mission of Storm Sporting Events is to promote health and wellness while raising awareness of youth and mental health. In 2023, Storm Sporting Events received a $5,000 Cycle 2 community grant from the Winona Community Foundation. As a direct result of this funding, the organization was able to hold the kid’s triathlon in Winona.
Earlier that year, Storm Sporting Events took on the legacy of the Trinona triathlon after its previous owners made the difficult decision to discontinue the kids’ triathlon due to rising equipment and operational costs. During Trinona’s transition to Storm Sporting events, the community overwhelmingly expressed their desire to see this youth focused event held again. In order for this to once again become a reality, Storm Sporting Events would need equipment to create a safe and high-quality race for kids: crowd barriers and cones to keep all racers safe, start and finish lines, a generator to power the timing system and the announcer’s equipment, canopies that would keep volunteers out of the elements, and more. They also hoped for bike racks so kids could hang their bikes just like the adults do. Without most of these items, the race would not have been able to take place.
The $5,000 community grant funded a large portion of the equipment that made the kids’ race possible. A total of 84 kids from 5-15 participated. “Not unanticipated, the kids had a great time participating in Trinona Kids,” said Mandy Hansel, President of Storm Sporting Events. “We also learned that the City of Winona’s citizens truly love the Trinona Kids event. We were able to fill all the volunteer roles and have extra people on hand as well. People were very excited that the event was being used to raise funds for the scholarship fund.”
With this help, they plan on funding the equipment in the future and to purchase more equipment in future years. Looking ahead, Storm Sporting Events is committed to investing in making the Trinona Kids triathlon an annual tradition, using it not only as a way to foster physical activity and community engagement but also to raise funds for scholarships that support students pursuing careers in youth mental healthcare.
“We are so grateful for the support provided by the Winona Community Foundation. It truly is one of the main reasons we were able to bring Trinona Kids back this year. The kids and their families had an amazing experience.” – Mandy Hansel, Storm Sporting Events President
An important part of the Winona Community Foundation’s mission is realized though awarding community grants to meet the ever-changing needs of the community through a competitive process. Funding for this program comes from generous people, like you, who invest in the community and the Foundation. Whether through direct donations, establishing endowments, or holding charitable funds at the Foundation, these diverse sources of funding are instrumental in supporting the community grant program. As a result, local nonprofits in the Winona area greatly benefit from this program, which has become an essential asset in meeting the needs of the community.
To learn more about Storm Sporting Events, visit stormsportingevents.org.
