Greetings again friends!
In June, I participated in my second Bike MS event. We rode for two days, 75 miles a day, for a total of 150 miles. To this day, it is still the most challenging and difficult ride I do of the year. But oh my, is it worth it!
And this year in particular the fundraising side of the event was a smashing success. The event itself raised nearly $1,000,000! Our team, the Roadkill Warriors, raised over $66,000! And for my part, I was fortunate enough to have friends and family help me raise $700. Each and every penny of that money goes directly to research for MS, attempting to find drugs that make life easier for these patients and ultimately to one day find a cure.
If there was a bummer for me in this year's fundraising efforts it was that a few people gave a large sum of money. Don't get me wrong, I'm 100% grateful to anyone who gave, particularly if they gave large sums. But I've always had this dream that a TON of people would get together and give small amounts to get us towards our goal. While the fundraising is obviously important, I think equally important is raising awareness of MS, of getting as many people involved in the fight against this disease as possible.
And so, an experiment...
This September, I am participating in another Bike MS event, the Cooks Forest Ride. This is a much shorter ride, and actually looks according to the map to be significantly easier. Because it's a one day event not a two day, the fundraising goals are much smaller, which should make what I'd like to see happen possible. I am capping the donations at $5 a person. Please do not give any more than that. My fundraising goal is $100, so if 20 people give $5 we'll be there in no time. I wouldn't be surprised if through the magic of Facebook we could get as many as 40 people to give $5. What if we found 80? What if we found 100? What if that many more people knew about Bike MS and all the help it provides people in need?
$5 is nothing. It's a cup of coffee at Starbucks. It's a couple of cases of Coke. It's two gallons of milk. (I must be thirsty...) If you made a donation for the Erie ride, I appreciate that deeply. Could you spare another $5 for this event? I want to live in the kind of world where a huge collection of people could join a revolution and make a difference in the lives of people who need it the most. I want to live in the kind of world where a small band of dedicated citizens can make a difference.
To make a donation, visit my personal page here. Together, we can put an end to MS. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we can be the revolution.
As for me, I'll go hop on the bike and start training!
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