Marie Curie Cancer Care is best known for their network of nurses working in the community to provide end-of-life care for patients in their own homes. They have 10 hospices across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. and run the world-renowned Marie Curie Research Institute, which investigates the causes and treatments of cancer.
The Great Daffodil Appeal raises funds to support the charity and its programs.
Several Daffodil walks took place during the month of March, including one in Sunderland. There’s another walk coming up in Northern Ireland on April 26 called the Devoted to Life Walk.
Marie Curie also has a program that lets you choose your own “ultimate challenge.” With running events, swimming, cycling, marathoning, parachuting, and international events like the Kilimanjaro trek, there’s something for everyone.
Bikes for Kids Utah held a 3K family bike ride, a 50K ride and also an exclusive ride with Dave Zabriskie on Saturday, October 6th. Zabriskie is a Salt Lake City native and is the third American to participate in Tour de France. The ride was held in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The rides benefited bicycle items that were given to children that same day. New bicycles, helmets, bike locks and instructions were given to 1,000 underpriviledged Utah second graders.
“Bikes for Kids Utah was successful on so many fronts,” said Debbie Reid, founder and executive director of Bikes for Kids Utah. “We had great support from the community, Dave Zabriskie, sponsors, presenters, volunteers and the cyclists. Seeing a smile on the face of one child while receiving a bike was enough. Seeing hundreds of smiling faces made it even better.”
Bikes for Kids Utah fundraises for their project through multiple sponsorships, a fundraising dinner with a silent auction and several fundraising bicycle rides. The fundraising dinner and silent auction raised more than $11,000. Sponsors include: Costco, Intermountain Financial Group, Mass Mutual, Murray City Rotary and SoBe Life Water.
The Hotter ‘N Hell Hundred (HHH) is one of the largest cycling events in the USA. Held in Wichita Falls, TX in August each year, the main event is the 100 mile cycling race. Riders can also choose the 25 mile, 50 mile, or 100 K course or the off-road bicycle race. This year the event drew 11,205 riders and 23 of those were members of “Race for Grace,” the first ever charity cycling team allowed to participate in HHH. Read more… »
The 32nd Annual Jamestown Classic has been divided into two programs this year. Held on Jamestown, Rhode Island. The classic is organized by the local Rotary Club. One event ‘Round the Island Bike Race’ will be held on Monday, October 8th (Columbus Day).
The new event is ‘Rides and Strides for Humanity’ which will be held on Saturday, October 7th. The event will begin at Ft. Getty. Participants can be active in a variety of ways — they can walk, run, cycle, skateboard or even ride a kick-scooter. They can do so to benefit a number of charitable causes — from the Jamestown Community projects, the Nicaragua Wheelchair Project, a Ghana Literacy Project, Pure Water project and a National Charities fund.
Participants can register online at the website. Adult participants must raise $100 and children must raise $20. T-shirts will be given to each participant who raises $50.
The Jamestown Classic is considered the largest bicycle road race in Rhode Island. More than 800 participants are expected for both Oct 7th & 8th programs. In the beginning the event raised approximately $800 and now the event raises approximately $18,000 for charity.
Donald Jacobsma, a 45-year-old man considered himself “out of shape” and not an athlete. But the Holy Spirit spoke to him and inspired him to bicycle to the Promise Keepers Convention held on Cincinnati, Ohio in August from Orland Park, Illinois. Round trip that is 667 miles. Jacobsma succeded in making the long journey to and from Cincinnati on his bicycle to honor his wife’s memory.
Jacobsma’s wife suffered from both asthma and muscular dystrophy. She died in 2005. He raised $700 for muscular dystrophy through his efforts and is still accepting donations. His fundraising goal is to raise $3,000.
Jacobsma works at Applebee’s and the chain restaurant arranged for Jacobsma to eat at their restaurants along his journey for no charge. The journey took him six days to reach the Promise Keepers Convention and his Cincinnati, Ohio destination. On the return ride back he got two flat tires in Matteson, Illinois and his father came to pick him up the final thirteen miles. The journey took him 15-days in total.
He plans to participate in the Roll the Tollway 20-mile bicycle ride on theI-355 extension next month.
Sam Wolf II was killed while cycling on October 1, 2006. Wolf was cycling in the Great Pumpkin Metric Ride when a Jeep collided with his bicycle in Posey County, Indiana. The accident happened under circumstances that one would not think a fatal bicycle accident would happen. Wolf was wearing a bright yellow jersey, one that many cyclists wear to get the attention of motorists. The weather was sunny. The accident happened at a wide-open intersection with no barriers to vision and it was during a well-organized, large bicycle ride.
His friend Jim Bush and fellow cyclists are raising funds and asking local officials to install “Share the Road” signs on roadways that bicycles and cars share often. Bush has purchased 50 signs and 26 will be set up in Vanderburgh County within the next several weeks. Each sign has cost $50 and permission from local officials has been easy to obtain.
“When we lost our friend, we wanted to try and make a positive out of a negative, out of our loss,” Bush said. “Share the road signs are one way we thought we could do that.”
900 cyclists are anticipated for this year’s Great Pumpkin Metric Ride. The goals is to have the signs up in time for the ride.
In 2005, Rachel Speight was fatally hit by a car while biking in Western Kentucky. In 2006, Alexander Capelluto was fatally hit by a 10-wheel truck in West Haven during training for the cross-country trip. This past summer Dan Lewis was hit by a car and placed into a coma for several months while biking in Kansas. Lewis is now out of intensive care.
“Despite our best efforts, bicycling cross-country is a dangerous undertaking and accidents happen,” the HBC board said in a statement after the meeting. “The HBC family has been deeply affected by recent accidents leading up to and on our trips.”
The HBC added, “We can no longer endorse and organize the trip in its current form for these riders. The Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven board of directors, the Habitat staff and the ride’s student organizers have concluded that the benefits of this bicycle ride are not worth the inherent risks that accompany placing 90 cyclists on American roads.”
The cross-country trip was started in 1994 by Anthony Brydon and seven friends who biked across America. They raised funds to build a home for a New Haven, CT family. The annual cross-country bike trip had become the single largest fundraiser for a Habitat for Humanity affiliate in the U.S.A.. Approximately $2.4 million had been raised through the event. The Habitat Bicycle Challenge is focusing on creating a new event.
Marie Curie Cancer Care is best known for their network of nurses working in the community to provide end-of-life care for patients in their own homes. They have 10 hospices across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. and run the world-renowned Marie Curie Research Institute, which investigates the causes and treatments of cancer.