Erik Oliver
Oxford, GA

What excites you about the AT/T1 Challenge event?
Participating in something personal and meaningful with my children in the great outdoors with others who have similar stories.  I’m looking forward to meeting the rest of the team, their families, and the JDRF Georgia staff.

What or who inspired you to get involved?
That one is easy — Lucas Oliver, my eight year old, who was diagnosed with Type 1 in May 2014.

What’s your hiking experience?
Considerable, but it’s been a looonnnng time.  Right out of college, I hiked all of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia and some in North Carolina.  I’ve since hiked much more of the trail in NC.  When I was in the Peace Corps in Nepal from 1999-2001, I flew up to Jomsom in the Annapurna Himalayas, hiked up to Muktinath, and then back down to Pokhara over the course of several days.  But I was much younger and more fit then. Seems like a lifetime ago now.

You are currently our top fundraiser and only joined the AT/T1 Challenge a few weeks ago, what do you attribute your success to?
I already had a very strong social network of friends and family, and many of them know and love Lucas and are aware of his condition.  That’s probably the biggest reason why I’ve been successful so quickly — access to a large support network built over many, many years.  But the use of social media and email made it possible to get the word out quickly, and repeatedly.  The ease of donation online through the AT/T1 site is something my donors mentioned to me time and again.

What would you tell others to encourage them to reach their fundraising goals? Any quick tips?
First and foremost, don’t be afraid to ask.  No one, and I repeat no one, is going to find fault in you for reaching out for this very special cause.  Indeed they will think highly of you for doing so, regardless of whether they have the means to support your campaign or not.  So ask!  Secondly, use social media to keep putting up notices about your progress — not too often, but once a week is good.  You can opt into having JDRF post a progress note in your feed as well.  Be careful not to put too many progress reports up, because you don’t want folks to gloss over when they’re scanning for newer news about other things.  If/when you reach a fundraising goal, raise that goal a couple of hundred dollars — not too much at a time.  You want to keep your percentage raised close to the goal.  Communicate with people that you are doing this because the event is a HIKE, and along a hike you reach MANY milestones, not just one end goal.  Reaching the next milestone encourages you to keep going, and there isn’t a set destination.  We’re trying to raise as much as possible in the time allotted before and within 30 days after the AT/T1 challenge for JDRF.  Also, underscore that this is personal.  Involve the person in your life who has Type 1 (if it’s not you).  Post a picture, convey a message, etc.  It makes it all the more real for folks.  Finally, be quick to express thanks for however small a contribution.  That’s easy to do on social media and email, but we’ll also follow up with each donor with a mailed thank you from Lucas himself.

To register for the AT/T1 Challenge, please click here.