Words can’t express how nice it feels to get to do this again…

Whenever I speak to kids… I always love giving some lucky volunteers a chance to come up in front of their peers and hold one of my championship belts. I want to give them the chance to feel like a champion… even if it’s just for a few minutes.

I have them come up to the front and help me show the group some classic wrestler "poses" of a few of my heroes when I was a kid growing and becoming passionate about the world of professional wrestling. The smiles on the kids' faces when I do this is worth it every time.

For the last number of years, I haven't had the chance to speak to youth in-person. All of my speaking has been done virtually. My virtual audience is sometimes very large. But, all I see is a small green light on my computer screen. I didn't get into the business of professional speaking to talk to a green light. I did it because I genuinely love interacting with young people and inspiring them. Words can't describe how awesome it is to get to see smiling faces once again.

I like to bring the kids up to the front to pose and hold my belt because the audience always gets a kick out of it. But that's not the real reason. The real reason is that it's an effective tool for me to share some lessons I've learned in my journey of achieving my childhood dream of becoming a professional wrestling champion.

One main lesson I've learned in my journey is how important it is to focus on the POSITIVE rather than the NEGATIVE. I try to instil in kids the importance of developing a champion’s mentality rather than a victim mentality. If we focus on the negative all the time… we develop a victim mentality. A champion has the ability to focus on the positive and use that to drive them forward in their goals.

We live in a world with a lot of struggle and negativity around us. I take it as a privilege that I get to share some positive stories with kids and help them realize that there are still positive people in this world willing to come alongside them and help them.

We all have the power to be a positive influence to those around us if we simply decide to be. You don’t have to be in the “big time” to make a BIG difference.

Sincerely,
​Cody Deaner

Cody Deaner is now taking speaking bookings for the 2022-23 school year.

Cody is back and offering IN-PERSON presentations to schools across North America.

You can read all about the various speaking topics & workshops he offers HERE.

You can also read more testimonials from satisfied clients and inspired youth HERE.

To inquiry about booking a presentation for your school or organization, you can fill in the form on the bookings page, or email Cody directly at [email protected] 

For the months of June, July, and August 2002, Cody Deaner did another grassroots "Giv'er for Charity" campaign to help raise awareness and funds for the Rumball Camp of the Deaf.

Cody had this to say about the fundraiser on his social media:

"I have to say THANK YOU…

When I started “Giv’er for Charity” in 2018, I had no idea the places it would take me or the people it would bring into my life. This past summer, my journey brought me back to an amazing place… the Rumball Camp of The Deaf

My most recent fundraiser was done like all my fundraisers… at a very grassroots level. I don’t have a big marketing firm behind me pumping it. It’s literally just me, some merch I was able to print at a discounted rate due to some kind people, and kids that I’ve connected with in my journey. Together we spread the word about amazing places like Rumball… and people give us money.

All this money was literally raised by people looking into my eyes and handing me cash. They buy a shirt at a show knowing where the $ is going… and smile when I tell them that ALL OF IT (I don’t keep any for overhead costs) is going directly to the charity of choice. That’s it. It’s that simple. Just kind people donating cash.

I know the amount isn’t astounding. But the love and kindness shown by strangers truly is. It always blows me away when fans I meet are so generous with their hard-earned money and are willing to help spread awareness to amazing organizations like The Bob Rumball Foundation for the Deaf

So… THANK YOU to everyone, who over the last few months, shared a link, told a friend, or donated their money to this wonderful cause.

On behalf of me, my buddy Christopher, the kids who will now be able to attend camp because of your generosity, and the fine folks at the Rumball Camp of the Deaf… thank you!"

To learn more about "Giv'er for Charity" and how to get involved, click HERE
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