During our 20-year journey with Kinetic Kids, many people have significantly impacted our organization. One family, in particular, was with us in the beginning and still blesses our organization with wisdom, support and direction today! In celebration of our milestone anniversary, we knew we wanted to honor this family with an award that we will continue each year--just as their support does.
Peggy and Rick Neal attended the very first “what if” meeting that led to the formation of the Kinetic Kids you know today. Since that first gathering 20 years ago, Peggy and Rick have dedicated their time, energized our mission and shared their love of Kinetic Kids with everyone in their path. Their daughter, Diana, was one of our original 12 athletes who led to the formation of Kinetic Kids and she impacted our programs with her love, her laughter, and her positivity.
Peggy and Rick's other children, Cheryl and Ricky, and their spouses, also have been involved from the beginning! In fact, Tiffany Neal just accepted a position with Kinetic Kids as our Operations Director!! All told, at least one Neal has served in the following capacities over the last 20 years: participant, board member, board president, staff member, #1 fan in the stand, team parent, swim coach, support system for the co-founders, volunteer, donor, board meeting host, Hootenanny chair, you get the idea…this list goes on and on, just like the positive impact they have made on Kinetic Kids.
It is because of all of the Neal family contributions that we at Kinetic Kids are thrilled to honor the memory of Diana and the tireless efforts of her inspiring family by awarding the first-ever Kinetic Kids Neal Family Impact Award to the entire Neal family. Future annual recipients of this award will be chosen based on how well they embody the spirit of the Neal Family's dedication to improving the lives of our Kinetic Kids.
When receiving the award at this year’s Hootenanny event, Peggy Neal shared, “The Neal Family Impact Award is an honor. And the honor goes to our family and to our friends who were introduced to Kinetic Kids through Diana and who chose to make it their mission. It is a beautiful illustration of the spider web concept of human connection. How each fiber is connected and how even the gentlest touch can reverberate through the web. I’m eager to hear how other families and friends come together to be better in a spiderweb of support to nurture children who need a little extra effort to dance, play, make friends, compete and make a difference in the world.”
