Written by: Converse’s California Distribution Center Team

As an organization, Converse sets forth core values designed to guide employees in all that we do. At the Converse Distribution Center in California, we took one of these values – “Do the Right Thing” – to heart when we learned about CAF’s mission.

Best Day in Tri _ Converse _ photo

Dennis Kost and Team Converse offering smiles and encouragement on the SDTC course ©2016 Rich Cruse CrusePhoto.com

With the local San Diego Triathlon Challenge looking to partner up for sneakers, our Distribution Center team was inspired to see how we could get involved. To our delight, what started as a small idea to help this worthy cause turned into a full-blown partnership, and we were able to offer our support from start to finish for the last 4 years.

This year, our team of 350 employees based at the Converse Distribution Center in Ontario California worked with our friends, families, and communities to fundraise for the organization. Over the 4 years of partnership, we had several Distribution Center employees with their families and friends participate in the triathlon as athletes and volunteers. Watching them train for months while fundraising kept our whole team motivated, and pushed us to see how else we could contribute.

With the help of our colleagues across Converse, we were able to bring what we know best –sneakers – into the mix, and we agreed to become the official sneaker sponsor of the past 4 years. This year, we designed special grey Chucks with the black CAF logo, which we donated to CAF to include in their donor gift bags and provide to their athletes. It was an honor to know that the product we help to sell to consumers all over the world was also supporting CAF.

It’s an honor for Converse to continue to partner with CAF in support of the annual triathlon in beautiful San Diego. This life-changing event is something that our employees look forward to supporting and attending year after year.” -Dennis Kost

We were already excited to support CAF leading up to the event, but race day was the icing on the cake. Our team shows up every year to cheer on our own athletes, witness the amazing accomplishments of the other race participants and pass out medals at the finish line.

“I have been to two CAF events and just wanted to say I am very glad that I did participate in the event. It was quite an experience for my family and me. Very inspirational to see all the challenged athletes that meet for a very worthy cause, and for Converse to contribute to this fundraising event.” -Kenneth Amaya

Overall, it is a truly rewarding and moving experience to be there together, representing our company. It not only strengthened our bond as a team, but also connected us with our community. We are proud to be associated with CAF and the amazing work that they do, and we hope to continue bringing our Converse values to life and supporting the CAF mission however we can.