Strong like a Bull

The bull is aggressive. It sees red, but it’s not focused on the color of the matador's cape. It’s zeroed in on the iconic wagon of Riley Children’s Health, ready to support the next Indiana child and family who will need the expert care only found through Riley Hospital for Children.

“Strong like a Bull” is more than just a phrase for father and son Kurt Ludington and Trenton Tyler from Valparaiso, Indiana. It’s an ode the family has used for decades to describe the work ethic of Kurt’s mother. It’s a motto that became the insignia and name for the YouTube channel Kurt and Trenton launched five years ago. And it’s how Kurt recalls Michael Landers, his grandson and Trenton’s nephew, who passed away in 2020.

Michael was delivered at Riley Hospital for Children in downtown Indianapolis in 2011 and was born with hydrocephalus, requiring shunts in his brain to relieve water pressure. In his first year of life, the family needed Riley's care for Michael's survival, traveling to the hospital a few times a month.

“Just a powerhouse. Strength beyond belief,” Trenton said defiantly to detail Michael. “It was impressive to watch him prosper despite all that he was given at birth.”

“He couldn't talk to any of us,” Kurt added. “He couldn't communicate this, but he was a little animal.”

SLB Drinks is a hobby turned YouTube channel with more than 175,000 subscribers. It began when Kurt asked for Trenton’s help uploading a drink review to Facebook. That idea became this channel that has massively grown since its 100 subscribers its first year. As its community quickly grew, Kurt and Trenton felt a pull to utilize its online community to give back.

“It was shortly after Michael's passing, we decided that we would love to use our platform to support a good cause and help other families and other kids,” Trenton said.

Debating who to fundraise for and knowing they wanted to leave Michael’s legacy, Kurt discussed it with his son – and Michael’s dad – Kyle.

“I gave the choice to Kyle as far as whether we proceed with our platform for this charity event,” Kurt said. “It took a little time to think about it, but he wanted to go with Riley Hospital because of everything they did for Michael.”

2022 was the first year of the fundraiser. They hosted a livestream with raffles and giveaways, but didn’t enter with any expectations other than honoring Michael. Their community raised $18,000 in year one.

Trenton found two words for how he felt: blown away.

The family knew they had something special and wanted to host this annual event. Unsure if they should change who to raise money for, Kurt and Trenton went to their Patreon group for advice. Patreon is a tool where content creators can host a subscription service.

Should we change it up? What should we do? Kurt asked the SLB Drinks Patreon subscribers. “Emphatically, they all stated it's got to be for Riley every year. It meant something to them because it meant something to us.”

Kurt and Trenton went into their 2023 fundraiser intending to raise $40,000, more than double what they accomplished in the inaugural year.

They raised just over $200,000.

“We thought it was a glitch,” Trenton said. “We thought it was a bug or something in the software.”

“There was just no way this was happening,” Kurt said.

The family celebrated its third annual fundraiser for Riley Children’s Foundation last October, raising its most yet: $343,271.

“Michael is the true source of why we do the charity event that we do every year for Riley,” Kurt said. “And as long as we have this platform, as long as we enjoy the success that it's bringing, we will keep utilizing it every year for Riley Children’s.

Michael was born into this world with many difficulties. But because of the influence of Riley, Michael was able to enjoy a decent number of years here with us, which is amazing.”

Though the family had raised enough in the years prior, this was the first year they released a wagon into the fleet. Michael’s name can be found rolling through the halls of the downtown Indianapolis hospital in a Riley wagon just like the one his family once used. Kurt and Trenton encourage anybody considering a third-party fundraiser, no matter how different it might be, to just put their toe in the water and just start.

“You'll never be more fulfilled until you give into somebody else's life,” Trenton said. “When we went from $18,000 to $200,000-plus, it did not come from Kurt and me. It came from within Patreon. You pull from everybody the best ideas possible to raise money. Everybody’s included, and they have ownership in the drive as well.”

The family intends to host the fourth annual event this October, hoping to surpass $1 million in total fundraising. Their videos can be viewed on YouTube and across social media channels at @slbdrinks.