The Hold Our Youth Tight Triathlon is back for a fifth year to remember and honor Hoyt McDonald, son of Kendra and Drew McDonald, and Sullivan (Sully) Hall, son of Katie and Lee Hall. These parents, along with their family and friends, had to say goodbye to their boys entirely too soon, Hoyt arriving at the gates of Heaven at just 9 months old and Sullivan at just 5 months old. This event is held in memory of Hoyt & Sullivan, to raise money to give back to the community, and as a reminder to Hold Our Youth Tight. The continued support from the Winterset Community and from others throughout the country (YES - the COUNTRY!) has allowed these families to give back to a community they love so dearly. Here are a few ways we've been able to give back:

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• Awarded $1,500 scholarships to 2 Winterset High School seniors in 2019 (Emma Lowden & Mariah White), 2020 (Justice Melroy & Taylor Schlatter), and 2021 (Rachel Manning & Josie Orr)

• Made a contribution to Knox Blocks Foundation, resulting in 12 families receiving an Owlet Monitor

• Made a contribution to Bring Love Ministry, an organization that supports foster and adoptive families in Iowa

• Sponsored a 2021 Winterset Little League Team

• Made a $15,000 contribution to Winterset Parks & Recreation to replace playground equipment at Winterset City Park; the playground will be named the Hoyt & Sullivan Memorial Playground and will be installed in Spring of 2022

• Made a contribution to the Madison County Sportsmen's Club, who has supported our annual Triathlon trap shooting event since year one

• Adopted 4 families (a total of 10 kids!) during the 2021 holiday season and made an additional monetary contribution to MATURA to help ensure additional children received gifts

• Made monetary contributions to multiple families during a time of need

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*We will be announcing our 2022 plans for giving back to the community soon! Stay tuned!*

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If you know of a family in need or have an idea for how Hold Our Youth Tight can give back to the community, please contact us using the Questions section below. We'd love to hear from you!