Geeks gotta live life to the fullest and have fun where we can find it. As a tech exec, summer was also a fantastic time to participate in festivals, events, reading and (gasp) vacation time. It’s also when a lot of worthy causes deserve your geek love.
In the past, myself and family participated in numerous multi-day bikeathons for numerous causes such raising pledges for the National MS Society. Most recently I participated in and completed (see the pic yay!) the American Cancer Society’s July 2025 5-mile Swim Challenge here in the Texas Hill Country outside Austin.
My wins for the challenge were, first and foremost, the GEEK community stepped up with overwhelming financial support. Participants were asked to gather a minimum pledge of $25 and the suggested donation budget was $250. The GEEK community gave a WIN - on June 29th, I started one Saturday morning with zero $ and I put the word out on FB and LinkedIn groups related to Managed Services Providers (MSP) . We ended the day at nearly $900! BTW - still time to support the cause HERE!
My challenges were the Texas Floods. I’m about 30-miles west of Austin and we were impacted with rains that allowed water to accumulate at low water crossings. My YMCA was closed off-and-on for five days starting July 4th because the storms caused lightning. The main flood damage you saw on TV was about 70-miles west in Kerrville.
On a lighter note, I was outdone by my older sister again. While I think I was HOT to complete the swim challenge, my older sister did the Whidbey Island triathlon north of Seattle. Drats she out did me again lol!