XS Success Story: IBO Receives Big Fundraising Support for JDRF

Never in his life had Tom Scheidel encountered the words “Pediatric Endocrinologist,” let alone met someone who fit the tongue-twisting description.

Then his son, Jake, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes.

Jake was 6 years old and the calendar read Sept. 17, 1997.

“Most families can tell you the exact date of diagnosis,” Scheidel says. “With kids especially, it changes your whole life. Things that you never think about having to deal with, you have to deal with. But we’ve never been the type of people to say, `Oh, woe is me.’”

Instead, Tom and his wife, Mary, resolved to learn as much as they could about the disease and foster a lifestyle in which Jake could thrive. Scheidel characterizes their determined mindset: “All right, it’s happened, let’s deal with it. What can we do to make it better?”

And for the past five years, XS Energy Drinks has been coming alongside the Independent Business Owners to aid in that effort. After a mutual friend connected Scheidel with XS Energy co-founder David Vanderveen, XS began providing a stock of the drinks to the Scheidels and other organizers.

In turn, organizers sold XS to those who attend Jake’s Music Festival, a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation fundraiser at the Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids, Mich. Over the years, support from XS has risen, translating into thousands of dollars annually for the cause.

Right at the center of the action is Jake, a healthy 20-year-old college student. Growing up, he has had no physical limitations, reflected in his participation in activities such as basketball, cross country and marching band.

All of the fundraising proceeds go toward the West Michigan Ride Team, which is in its seventh year. The group of about 40 bicyclists generate up to $4,000 apiece in exchange for the opportunity to ride in locations such as Death Valley, California; Whitefish, Montana; Lake Tahoe, Nevada; and Tucson, Arizona.

For five of the past six years, Tom and his wife, Mary, have elected to complete a 105-mile route in Death Valley—the other year journeying to Killington, Vermont.

For the past half-decade, XS has stepped up as one of the larger and longest-running sponsors for the group.

“It’s a big commitment in terms of the time it takes to train and to raise the money,” Scheidel explains. “We look for lots of different ways we can raise money, and with XS, it’s been a great relationship that grows stronger ever year.”

“We’ve been able to do some creative things like build energy drink ice cream floats, with a local ice cream shop donating the ice cream,” Scheidel adds. “Everything we make on those is 100 percent profit for the team and finding a cure for juvenile diabetes.”

On Oct. 15, Tom, Mary and their 16-year-old son, Ian, will be among those covering the 105-mile distance in Death Valley (as active as Jake is, he’s not an avid bicyclist). In all, there will be 300 to 350 cyclists converging from almost every state and several other countries.

There, temperatures regularly soar well over 100 degrees. Top riders can finish in less than six hours, while most need upwards of 10 or 11 hours. But it’s not a race—it’s a “reward,” Scheidel chuckles—that culminates the all-around fundraising endeavor.

Regardless of their individual times, before and after the grueling ride, many will be replenishing with the same beverage: ice-cold XS Energy Drinks.

For more information about the efforts undertaken by the Scheidels and others, visit http://jakesmusicfestival.blogspot.com/ and www.morethan100miles.blogspot.com.

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