Within the next weeks the initial board meeting will take place for the Establishment of the Tyler Graebner Foundation. The Board of Directors will consist of a “Working Board” and an “Advisory Board.” Individuals on the Active Board of Directors, which will oversee the operation of the Foundation and planning and organization of activities, events, and disbursements will include, James and Christina Graebner, (One voting right) Mike and Mary Jane Furches (One voting right), Eric Akin, Aaron Sweazy, Kobi Williams, and Craig Mitchell. It is likely that additional Board members will be included in this working Board.

The Advisory Board will be seeking Top Level National Wrestlers and individuals involved in the Cancer Research and Cancer Treatment areas. Presently several top level wrestlers have committed to this. Those individuals will be announced after the initial Board meeting. The Advisory Board will help with giving credibility to the organization as well as help promote the mission and needs of the organization on a International level.

Initial plans for the Tyler Graebner Foundation is multi-fold and multi-purposed. While eventual practices of the organization are yet to be developed, there are several areas that are certain at this time.

1. The Tyler Graebner Foundation will seek to provide financial and psychological support to families who are going through traumatic and life threatening experiences, with a special focus on cancer, but not limited to cancer. There will also be a special focus on the wrestling family but not entirely limited to the wrestling family. This assistance will consist of help in providing support, both mental, and financial. The financial assistance will take place through an application process that has yet to be determined.
2. The Tyler Graebner Foundation will seek to provide assistance to youth and families who have lack of funds for wrestling. There will also be an application process for this that has yet to be determined. The assistance in this area will provide headgear, shoes, and other equipment needed for youth involved in wrestling. It will also assist in covering fees, including a USA Card and tournament fees for the wrestler. This will as well involve an application process that has yet to be determined. We encourage each individual club and state to provide assistance as they can to their wrestlers and this is intended to be a supplement to those particular organizations. Where those services do not exist within those organizations then direct assistance from the Tyler Graebner Foundation may be sought out.

There are various things that need to be done yet before we attack this process head on. We are currently seeking assistance in the development of a 501 C-3 Classification. For that, we need the assistance of an attorney or attorneys. This classification will enable individuals to receive a tax credit for contributions to the organization as well as lend credibility to the organization. This association will also make it easier to obtain grants that may be available to organizations such as this.

Education to the wrestling community about the organization is also appreciated. If youth, and clubs don’t know about the organization it will not be able to help. Please educate clubs and others about the Tyler Graebner Foundation. We want to keep Tyler’s memory and love for wrestling alive; we also want to assist those that are going through difficult times. Tyler was a reminder of the love we are to have for each other and the legitimate concept of family that is developed within the wrestling community. We want that to continue.

Individuals or organizations can also contribute to the organization to assist in providing funds. We will develop various levels of giving and membership with certain benefits to the organization for those giving at those particular levels. With the inclusion of National and International Level Wrestlers, it may involve items from those individuals or other rewards. Beyond those benefits is the knowledge that you are helping an organization that is about helping others.

Individuals, organizations, and clubs can also donate old wrestling items that are in good shape. Those may include shoes, singlets, headgear, and various other items. We would even ask clubs to consider donating wrestling related items that have been left at tournaments after you have sought out to return to individuals your lost and found items. These items will allow us to provide to youth items that will allow them to wrestle safely and at the same time feel like a wrestler. It will also save the Tyler Graebner Foundation a large amount of money in that all that would be required to give these items is the postage to mail them.

For more information or to donate to the Tyler Graebner Foundation you may contact; Mike Furches, 2404 Crawford, Wichita KS 67217. Phone 316-841-5814, or 316-945-8485.

hey mike why not have a tyler graebner memorial
tournement and have the money from the tournemet
go directly to the foundation

Good idea, we are looking at an annual camp, clinics and the like. There will be a number of things going on and several Olympic Medal Winners and Teammates on the Advisory Board. This will hopefully turn into something that helps wrestlers and their families for a long time to come. We still need some help with getting the 501-(c)3 papers drawn up and applied for. We are even looking at a possible All-American Clinic and/or world level wrestling exhibition in the next few months, prior to the start of the high school season. There will be a lot more determined once the board gets together in the next couple of weeks.

How about a Takin' it to the mat for Tyler: Tag Team Wrestling Championships.

i would lend a hand to help out if needed

Mike
It sounds like you have alot potential plans for the foundation in place or going to be in place which is great. I know at the State Meet, you talked about a possible Summer Camp @ Chanute.
Do you know if that is going to be able to happen?
Thanks Mike

Saturday May 7, is a historic day in Kansas. We will have a great Freestyle / Greco tournament going on, which I personally encourage people to support. A organizational meeting for the development of wrestling at Kansas University or NCAA D1 in Kansas, (wish I could be there everyone, but you know where my priorities lie at this point, I will help as I can and desire to.) We will also be holding the first board meeting for The Tyler Graebner Foundation in Hillsboro Kansas at Tabor College. The initial members of the board include, James & Christina Graebner (1 voting member) Mike & Mary Jane Furches (1 voting member), Eric Aiken, Craig Mitchell, and Cobi Williams. There is the possibility to add more to the board and we will also have an active Advisory Board.

The meeting time for those interested will be 12:00 – 1:00 for those desiring to eat lunch in the College Cafeteria, and 1:00-3:00 in the Business Building for the actual board meeting. We will be making some initial plans for the foundation, discussing the development of our 501-C-3 status and more.

For more information on the goals and objectives of the T.G.F., please review the previous posts. Other individuals are welcome to attend. It would be great to see someone from Hillsboroor surrounding area Wrestling Club in attendance as well. Would love to meet you and it will provide a chance to meet others participating on the Tyler Graebner Foundation.

Mike, the meeting for the development of NCAA Division I wrestling is actually the following weekend on Saturday May 14th. We know you are busy now with Tyler's Foundation formation and the freestyle season. We want you to come if you can but we know your priorities have to be here first. We are planning on having a meeting in the Wichita area in the near future so that may end up working out better for you. You have done a lot already by posting your ideas for it on the various forums where it is being discussed.

Are you accepting donations now for Tyler's Foundation? If you are do we make it payable to:
Tyler Graebner Foundation? Where do we send the donation?

Don't forget to include Eric Akin's Wife as she seemed to be very helpful in your efforts also.

Mike: Ignore my question above. I reviewed your first post on this thread and found my answers:

"For more information or to donate to the Tyler Graebner Foundation you may contact; Mike Furches, 2404 Crawford, Wichita KS 67217. Phone 316-841-5814, or 316-945-8485."

Due to a couple of unforseen things this weekend, we are going to reschedule the first meeting. We wiull post the details once we have them.

Info on the reception can be found in the High School section.

Answered this on the high school forum for me.

The Tyler Graebner Foundation has started receiving requests for help. That is a good thing in one regard, we are going to be there to help. On the other hand, it is an opportunity for clubs to continue to educate their members as to the assistance available. There is an opportunity for those that can, help provide needed equipment, (shoes, headgear, etc…) and finances to see to it that every child in Kansas that wants to wrestle has that opportunity, (club fees, USA Cards, tournament entry fee scholarships.) Please take back to your club meetings the information related to the foundation. Hopefully, each district has presented the foundation at each of the district meetings.

We have several requests coming in and need help with a few things, or we will end up spending money on them. Requests are for the following, 2 sets youth head gear, and 1 pair of youth size 12 wrestling shoes. Any help on these items would be appreciated.

Also a reminder that clubs, and or individuals can donate their used equipment or lost and found items.

Is not the purpose of the foundation to spend the monies raised through the fund raising efforts for this very reason?

I do know my children have donated their old useful items to their former club, school, or private individual which they knew would get additional use out of the item. This morning my son took additional wrestling items to school for his high school teammates to pick through if they would like.

The first resource I would check is my local club.

Richard, this is actually a good question. The answer to your question is yes and no. The monies that have been raised is to help primarily with USA Wrestling Membership Cards, club fees, and some tournament entry fees. Obviously, we want the clubs to help as much with this as possible. The money is also used to help families with unexpected expenses. For example while we may be able to get a club to help pay with a pair of shoes, when there is a family who can’t pay the electricity because they have expended all resources and a parent is out of work spending time with the child, those organizations won’t be as likely to help. I know this from spending over 15 years working with individuals in these situations. Thankfully, Kansas has a law that prevents certain utilities from being turned off during the Winter but not all states have those laws, and even with those laws it does not take into account the additional expenses. Another use of the money will be to assist loved ones who may have to come in for a medical emergency, such as a death or near death situation. Airlines while providing reduced rates for this, don’t provide free rates, there is still expenses involved.

Essentially what we are trying to do is spread the dollar as much as possible. Where we can get donated items that is great, when we can’t we can purchase them. An example here, I just picked up 15 pair of headgear that was donated from Sunflower. Darin has also agreed to sell me shoes at cost for the Foundation. We can purchase these shoes at a reduced rate but if a pair is donated, we don’t have to spend any on the reduced rate.

I know you didn’t do this Richard but some clarification probably needs to be given. The Foundation don’t have a large bank roll. All of the initial monies that came in came in to help with medical expenses and other expenses related to Tyler’s illness. We have since his death started the foundation and all of that money is designated to help the foundation. There is presently less than $2,000 in that account, not a large amount as anyone can see, especially if providing a hundred here and a hundred or so there for whatever need. It will only take one large emergency, of helping with major expenses to wipe that amount out. Our hope is that we never have to spend money for a catastrophic incident because none happen. If last year taught us anything though, it is that inevitably something will happen that will require helping someone in our wrestling family this year.

I hope this gives clear explanation, if there are other questions I will be glad to answer them. By the way, the drive down for the headgear, toll, and all other expenses was out of my pocket. The only reason I make mention of that is to make clear, that those helping are doing so out of their own support for the cause of the foundation.