LIVESTRONG Staff Spotlight: Dylan Trakas
by Dan Byrd (LIVESTRONG Foundation Staff)
My name is Dan Byrd, LIVESTRONG‘s New Media Intern, and as a part of my summer internship I will be writing a blog segment where I sit down and chat with some of the different faces at LIVESTRONG. I hope these conversations give everyone unique insight into what makes LIVESTRONG such a great organization.
I sat down with Dylan Trakas, LIVESTRONG?s Events Ambassador for Team LIVESTRONG and the LIVESTRONG Challenge Series. In the short time I spent with Dylan it became obvious why he loves working for LIVESTRONG: he gets to help people. Dylan is an exceptionally committed individual, and his commitment is to the people that he helps every day.
Dylan?s main responsibilities involve the LIVESTRONG Challenge in Philadelphia. The LIVESTRONG Challenge Series is an annual event that takes place in three different U.S. cities. There is a multi-distance bike ride in Davis, California on July 10th; A 5 and 10K walk/run and multi-distance ride, in Philadelphia, August 20th-21st; and a 5K walk/run and multi-distance bike ride, in Austin, Texas October 15th-16th.
The main goal of the Challenge Series is to get people involved with the organization, but the series also provides huge fundraising opportunities for the foundation. If you are interested you can register for $50, or you can also register for both the walk/run and ride together in Philly and Austin for $75.
Dylan has a lot of hard work ahead of him before the Philadelphia event where he expects over 4,500 participants. When I asked him why he thinks people chose to get involved with LIVESTRONG, he said it is about the people.
?I?ve spoken to a lot of cancer survivors, who have participated in our events, and they have told me that cancer is a lonely experience,? he added, ?but when they come to one of our events and are surrounded by 4,500 other people who are there for the same reason, they feel empowered to continue their fight.? As far as the future is concerned, Dylan hopes LIVESTRONG will continue to expand with new events and continue to provide the inspiration that so many people draw from them.
It was a pleasure to sit down and get to know Dylan and learn about the great things he does for the organization. LIVESTRONG is fortunate to have so many staffers motivated by their connections with others and are so committed to helping people when they need it the most.
