Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Roberts.
Hi Sam, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Hi! My name is Sam Roberts. Garrett Corum and I are the founders of Medallion Mission. We are two childhood friends who share a similar passion for all things history, the great outdoors, and a good old-fashioned treasure hunt! This venture was a dream that began in May of 2024 and one that was inspired by Byron Priess’ The Secret. We would be remiss not to mention that the National Treasure movies also had an influence. Work quickly began to carefully plan and piece together what would become a thrilling treasure hunt set to take place in Downtown Knoxville, TN. During this hunt, participants would have to solve numerous riddles in order to find a hidden medallion that would be placed in downtown, Knoxville TN. In order to gain access to the riddles, a ticket would need to be purchased to the event. The event would conclude once the medallion was found. The return of the medallion would result in a cash prize, funded through ticket sales, awarded to the winner. Work continued throughout the summer and into the fall of 2024. By December of 2024 everything had fallen into place to allow us to officially launch and begin ticket sales in January of 2025.
However, everything changed on December 19th, 2024, when my son, Hudson Roberts, was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. Though through this tragedy I found purpose—and for that, I am grateful. You see, I had been praying for about a year for God to reveal his plan and purpose for my life. He tells us that we each have unique gifts and talents and we are to use them to serve others. I will admit that I grew frustrated as time went on because my purpose wasn’t clear and I wanted clarity. His timing is always better though. During the weeks that were spent in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at East TN Children’s Hospital, God revealed my purpose. My mission moving forward was to help other families and children that passed through those same doors. I contacted Garrett and explained my desire to adjust our original plan. I wanted to incorporate a charitable component and make this a yearly event. Without hesitation, Garrett was immediately on board.
Having said that, the near-term focus remained on my son, Hudson Roberts, and his battle with cancer that lie ahead. Garrett and I decided that Hudson would be this year’s inaugural Medallion Mission sponsor. This meant that the majority of the revenue from ticket sales would now go to Hudson. This also meant that we would have to find another way to fund the cash prize. We begin reaching out to local businesses for donations in order to fund the cash prize. We felt we needed to have a decent prize in place in order to generate interest for our event. Ticket sales began in mid-February and the cash prize started out at $500, which was funded by Garrett and I. Though the majority of revenue from ticket sales would go to Hudson, 25% of each ticket sold would also be used to help fund the prize.
From February into early summer, we continued to fundraise and sell tickets to our event. Thanks to numerous donations from local businesses, we are able to raise close to $5,000 for our cash prize. Between these donations and ticket sales, the cash prize is now over $6,000. We’ve raised almost $2,000 for my son Hudson. Our event launched on June 1st and the first riddle was released. However, last riddle won’t be released until July 20th which means there is still plenty of time to join in the hunt for the medallion. Interested participants can purchase a ticket and learn more on our website at medallionmission.com
Another item worth mentioning is that we don’t want the hunt to go on forever. We want interest in this first event, and future events, to continue to grow. This means we want the medallion to be found so we can award the cash prize. So, after week 10, if the medallion hasn’t been found we will begin to release additional hints until someone finds it.
We plan to transition to a non-profit for next year; we couldn’t do so this year since funds would be going to my son. Our dream is that interest in our mission continues to grow and that next year and beyond we can start giving back to other children and families in need. Though our focus is currently on Hudson, we can’t wait for the opportunity to be able to return some of the blessings that my family has already received from so many others.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There were a few different challenges.
Turns out, putting together the riddles wasn’t all that easy. Finding the right balance between ease and difficulty was hard. We wanted the riddles to challenge participants but not make them impossible. After we had developed all the riddles Garrett and I took our wives downtown to see how they would fare. We spent the day downtown and had them work through the riddles. We were able to gather some valuable feedback and made some slight adjustments.
Another challenge was finding the actual hiding spot for the medallion. How do you hide a medallion in a city, without burying it, and keep it hidden from the public? It wasn’t easy but we eventually found the perfect place.
Fundraising for our cash prize was challenging as well. Some businesses were quick to respond while many others never responded. We are so grateful to all the local businesses that made donations.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
For my day job I am a meteorologist and have been so for 15 years now. I received my degree in atmospheric science from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY. As a Knoxville native, I would have loved to attend UT but they did not offer a degree in atmospheric science at the time. After college I was able to find employment as a meteorologist in east TN and don’t plan on going anywhere since this is my home.
Though I am a meteorologist I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. I’ve had many dreams and visions over the years. The Medallion Mission is one of those and it has now turned into reality. I am even more excited at the thought of getting to use this venture in the future in order to help others.
How do you think about happiness?
I have always enjoyed doing things for others. Whether it’s at Christmas watching others open gifts or just helping out friends and family when in need, giving and doing for others has always brought me joy. It’s a trait I hope to instill in my children. Actions speak louder than words so the best way for them to learn is to watch me carry out these actions. I’ve already seen glimpses of this in my children, doing for others, and this is by far my greatest joy I could ever receive. My hope is that through Medallion Mission, we can give for years to come.
Pricing:
- $25 for a ticket to get riddle access
Contact Info:
- Website: https://medallionmission.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/medallionmission/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MedallionMission/
- Twitter: https://x.com/MedallionKnox
