HOW IT STARTED
Team Hoyt Arizona takes its name from the legendary father-son team of Dick and Rick Hoyt. It honors us that Dick and Rick Hoyt granted us permission to use their name for our charity. TEAM LUCAS
Lucas King, the son of Steve and Denise King, was born in Tucson in 2007. Life is not simple for Lucas, and he was born with cerebral palsy. Lucas’ parents are both athletes, and Lucas love
s participating in sports. Basketball, football, baseball, running, cycling – he loves it all! The rougher, the better! When Lucas was little, Steve would run with Lucas in the stroller. Lucas loved it, and when they hit bumps he would crack up laughing. They became very involved in the wheelchair athletics community. Steve and Denise had an inspiring story with a powerful message. “Why can’t Lucas take part in this activity?” They became nonprofit activists and devoted enormous energy to community inclusion. Steve and Denise began rallying other volunteers behind the cause of inclusion. They were inspiring people to action. It was time to get organized! FOUNDING TEAM HOYT ARIZONA
A new nonprofit organization with its own all-inclusive community was emerging. The Kings had become friends with their heroes Rick and Dick Hoyt. When they spoke about their organization with them, Mr. Hoyt offered the use of his name. This was a true honor for our organization because of what he and Rick had started. Steve and Denise put together a Board of Directors and in March, 2016 founded Team Hoyt Arizona. The IRS determined our 501 (c) (3) nonprofit to be a qualified public charity and granted us tax exempt status. We’ve already rocked races in Arizona, California, and Massachusetts! Our calendar will be packed for next year’s season.
