If it takes a village to raise a child, it’s going to take a significantly well-resourced village to raise an Olympic Champion. Personal courage, passion, and determination along with supportive relationships, inspiring coaches and fellow peers are just a few of the conditions that help create an optimum environment to nurture an Olympic hopeful. The pursuit of Olympic stardom however, comes at a price, and often that price cannot be borne alone.
In early 2016, we were introduced to BC born speed skating athlete Jacob Graham by his father, a long time customer of Convoy. His lifetime love for speed and the ice has led Jacob all over the world training with Olympic champions and competing in various national and international competitions. Considered as one of the top young emerging speed skaters in Canada, December last year saw Jacob win first place in both the 500m and 1000m Canada Cup races. This win granted him a place in Canada’s National Development Team and his name on the long list for the next Olympics. Such an amazing achievement! Jacob’s lifelong dream is close to fulfilment.
After meeting with Jacob early last year, we knew we wanted to be a part of his village. Convoy isn’t just any old building supply company - it’s more than that. It’s a village, a family, whose desire is to make a difference in the world. So last year we entered into a partnership with Jacob helping him bear the price of this Olympic dream and achieve something that he couldn’t have done on his own. In recent correspondence with Jacob he again stated how significant our recent partnership with him is: “I would like to start by saying thank you for your incredible support and let you know how much it means to me. Without your help, I wouldn’t have been able to skate.”
What a privilege to support this young man’s Olympic dream again in 2017. Convoy is excited to be a part of Jacob’s village. Go for gold Jacob!