Paul Therens is Buffalo Wild Wings’ (BWW) Director of Restaurant Experience & Training. A Chicago native, he first joined the brand in 2011 as a manager for his local BWW Sports Bar and quickly grew his career. In 2019, a promotion to BWW Manager of Learning & Team Member Activation moved his family to Atlanta.
As Paul navigated the move, a new city, and a new role, his family faced an unexpected challenge when his oldest child’s doctor delivered life-changing news. “My daughter, Harper, was diagnosed at five years old with Type 1 diabetes on March 11, 2020 as the world was shutting down. It was a scary time, and there was a lot to learn.”
But with comprehensive new tools and information to manage diabetes came new community resources that offered help. “My wife and I discovered all these support programs – one of which was Camp Kudzu.” Focused on providing a traditional camping experience to diabetic children, Camp Kudzu employs a staff of endocrinologists, RNs, physician assistants, and dietitians to educate and support their campers.
Camp Kudzu is one of 70+ partner organizations supported by Camp Twin Lakes, a Georgia nonprofit providing adaptive and deeply impactful camp experiences to children and families living with serious illnesses, disabilities, and life challenges. To support its mission, the Inspire Foundation provides grants and volunteer opportunities to help Camp Twin Lakes serve kids like Harper.
“I really learned what Camp Kudzu was all about when we enrolled Harper in the day camp the following year,” says Paul. “You have to understand – Harper doesn’t have anybody like her in her school or her circle of friends. But at camp, she was immersed in a group of people just like her. She came back to us that first day as a worry-free six-year-old. Suddenly, she wasn’t an outlier.”
For Paul, that experience made real the difference that he and his colleagues could make by volunteering at Inspire. “I love Inspire for many reasons, but the focus on philanthropy and being able to give back is so important. I didn’t quite realize what it meant – the donating, the volunteering – until I had a need,” explains Paul. “Volunteer opportunities through the Inspire Foundation fill me with such a sense of pride to work here. It gives me the confidence to know that I’m working for the right company and the right people.”
When Harper turned eight, she attended her first Camp Kudzu sleep-away camp. For Paul and his wife, it was a sudden loss of control over the constant management that Harper’s diabetes requires. “It’s 24/7 supervision of what she’s eating and where her blood sugar levels are. It’s very uncomfortable to send her to camp and relinquish that control, but also very intentional.”
Today, Paul’s family looks forward to Harper’s sleep-away at Camp Kudzu with excitement. “Camp Kudzu is really, truly special. But things like this don’t just run by themselves – they need people like you and me to make it happen.”
The Inspire Foundation exists to ignite and nourish change for good. In 2024, Inspire’s brand foundations gave more than $23 million to support youth-related organizations, making a difference in the communities we serve. To learn more about the Inspire Foundation, visit foundation.inspirebrands.com.
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