Tell me about how your business got started.

Donna and Coach George Crace define The Total Development Center as “physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual development.” They started The Total Development Center while George was working as a teacher and athletic coach at both the Wilsonville and West Linn High Schools in April of 2000. After opening TTDC, the Crace’s then sought out a new opportunity to broaden their footprint, which resulted in the construction of Horizon Christian School in 2006. Today, Horizon Christian High School is regarded as one of the top private schools in our area and serves as a hub for athletic organizations to host sporting events and charitable affairs.

Donna and George wanted to create a curriculum designed to help ALL kids succeed, which then lead to running youth athletic camps, and conducting seminars to help kids improve academically through courses such as; “Homework: My locker ate it”, which focused on developing strong organizational skills and other key foundations for success, “Student Achievement Workshop (SAW)”, and 3-Dimensional (3D) Coaching for teachers, coaches, and parents sharpen their skills as effective educators in their respective fields.

“The experience that I hoped to share with the players that I coached was to give them a holistic approach to living their life in addition to playing their sport,” Coach George Crace says about his educational methodology.

Inspired by Steven Covey’s work on “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and lead by a servant’s heart, The Total Development Center was designed to cultivate success through health and education, encompassing all aspects of a young athlete; the body, the mind, and the heart. It is through these extraordinary programs that Donna and Coach Crace have been working to improve the lives of our country’s youth for over 20 years.

In Coach Crace’s words, “sports …are a microcosm for a bigger world. You will eventually move from your sport into that world, and hopefully become a great person and a participant in your community and…” potentially, “a leader.”

*To learn more about 3-D Coaching or to take the full program course online, visit www.becomea3dcoach.com or email gcrace@3dinstitute.com*

What problem does your product or service solve?

In addition to coaching on physical skills and development, The Total Development Center coaches kids on a mental aspect, focusing on motivation, confidence building, emotional self-control, goal setting, and team cohesion. TTDC’s programs are designed to discover where each athlete is in his or her developmental path, understand their individual goals, and help move them toward those goals within the context of a holistic approach. Understanding that purpose, values, significance, identity, and developing character come alongside the coaching.

Through their student consulting practice, Crace Consulting, Donna and George also provide courses for high school guidance and college prep, including employment opportunities for high school students to work at the camps to add to their professional experience.

What is your business philosophy?

“We are out to capture the whole sports culture,” George says. Coach Crace has been an educator for High School students for over 30 years and is now approaching his 47th year as an athletic coach. “The definition of a coach is the definition of an old-fashioned stagecoach,” he explains, “you got into the coach, which had a covering over your head to protect you, and then took you from point A to point B… which is what a coach does.”

The Total Development Center’s mission statement for 3D Coaching reads, “Transforming the sport through the transformed coach”, and it is clear that this mission is accomplished through the good work that the TTDC performs.

“We have four children and seven grandchildren and we have been married for 33 years, so we have learned that we have amazing kids through all the high schools, including our own kids…who come back and say something that Coach Crace taught them in a psychology class,” Donna remarks about their lasting impressions on former campers.

How does your business give back to the community?

Donna and George provide consultations to other churches and schools to strategize the incorporation of athletic fields wherever possible. They continue to give this beneficial service at little to no cost, helping these organizations to provide athletic programs and events for students, parishioners, and their families. George and Donna have also used their non-profit to provide the large multi-use playing field that sits at the Horizon Christian School at no cost to the school or church. Donna manages this beautiful field and even books it for other athletic groups, including well-known companies like Jordan Kent’s Sports Camps who then provide TDC kids access to their outstanding camp programs.

Their charitable works don’t stop here, as Donna also serves on the executive committee for the Wilsonville Chamber of Commerce and is active in our Tualatin Chamber as a Gold Level Investor. The couple also offers college admissions consulting and even scholarship opportunities to their camps and programs for families in need.

Donna and Coach Crace have dedicated their lives to serving families from Wilsonville, OR all the way up to Steilacoom, WA. It is through their work with our area’s youth that they are able to make such a positive impact in our community. They offer everything from free webinars to fundraising events with Knockerball NW bubble soccer as our area’s only licensed coordinator, and they are always on the hunt for opportunities to support local charities, schools, and non-profits.

“We want to work with Special Olympics, Home School Network, foster families, and wrap our arms around what you guys need (at the Chamber),” Donna says about their aspirations for Knockerball NW and other community events. “It’s exciting because it brings the kids out – and their parents, laughing and having fun.”

*To learn more about any of these programs or to refer an organization, please email Donna at dcrace.tdc@gmail.com.*

If you could say one thing to the people of Tualatin, what would it be?

“Now is a very important time for families to really spend time together, listening to their kids, evaluating their school programs, evaluating their coaches and sports and activities that they are looking into and really doing what’s right for your own family,” Donna says. “We really, truly believe that kids have to be physically active.”

“Begin with the end in mind for your child, and then let’s put first things first.” George continues, “if you know where you’re going, you’re likely to wind up where you’re headed—so let’s begin there. Our organization is here to help you with that process so that you can help your child succeed in life.”

*For more information on The Total Development Center, please visit www.the-tdc.com.

Article compliments of Caitlyn Q., Director of Member Services
Tualatin Chamber of Commerce