Ed Keegan began walking on Wednesday, September 26th from his home in Middle Village, NY. He is walking 105 miles to Sag Harbor, NY. His walk benefits the eighth annual MS Bike-a-thon in Sag Harbor which is sponsored by the Montel Williams MS Foundation.

Keegan is walking for MS because his daughter has been diagnosed with the disease in 1997. He admits he didn’t know very much about the disease before learning his daughter had it.

“I’m the ultimate parent,” he said. “I want to help MS research, which will help my daughter.”

Jeanne Keegan-Hoenig, his daughter, appreciates her father’s efforts. “He’s been very supportive. He tries to keep abreast of research and if he learns something new, he always lets me know,” she said. “Day to day, he is always there for me.”

Keegan is considering a 3,000 mile walk across the nation this coming spring. This three-day 105 mile journey is a test of his own endurance for the larger walk ahead.

Source: Newsday.com

Local library volunteers at the Newport Public Library (PA) have created a bicycle event that remembers a very special volunteer, Ray Wertz. The H.Ray Wertz Memorial “Ride to Read” Bike Tour has been running for eight years. The event has grown from 31 riders in the first year to now approximately 150 in the past three years. Some cyclists come as far away as New York, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware to participate in the event. The event both starts and begins at Little Buffalo State Park right outside of Newport, PA.

The event has raised more than $45,000. The funds help pay basic library expenses and to pay library salaries. The event will be held on Saturday, September 29th.

Ray Wertz was quite involved with the library, and many other community concerns in Newport, PA. He was on the building committee for the Newport Public Library when they constructed and planned the new building. He also volunteered for the library — doing just about anything that was needed, from mowing the grass, fixing things that needed to repaired and picking up the mail. Wertz died in 1998 and the event was created the following year in his honor.

The library hopes to raise approximately ten thousand dollars with this year’s event.
Source: The Sentinel, Newport Public Library

A fundraiser was held Thursday, September 13th by Freedomize Toronto, a Toronto, Canada ministry. The event was held in the Annex Wreck Room. The event was created by Cyril Guerette, a minister with a dedication for social action. He created We’Lo, the name derived from the words “We Love.” We’Lo is an organization created to power lights for non-profits, schools, government buildings and gyms in an alternative way.

Their fundraiser on the 13th will benefit installing a fleet of bicycles to be pedalled for energy at The Salvation Army’s Gateway Men’s Shelter, also in Toronto. Stationary bikes will be installed to create energy that will be stored in battery packs. The price to install a stationary bicycle is approximately $50 to $80 each. More than 500 volunteers have signed up to volunteer to man the cycles. The average person will need to cycle for an hour to generate 50 watts. This is enough to light one energy-efficient lightbulb for five hours.

Source: thestar.com

Many in the northern states of the U.S.A. and Canada are concerned with the rising costs of heating their homes during the winter. One fundraiser “Care to Ride” created by Oil Heat Cares takes action to help families in need. This event includes bicyclists, motorcyclists and walkers all participating to raise funds. The event occured in Hershey, Pennsylania on May 21, 2007.  The event raised $75,000 this year, last year’s event raised $50,000.

Oil Heat Cares is a not-for-profit foundation which assists people in need and organizations with the replacement of their oil heating appliances. Funds raised by the foundation purchase heating equipment and the National Association of Oil Heating Service Managers chapters and members help to identify  people and organizations in their communities that need assistance. They then install the equipment at no cost to the homeowner.

“We had challenged the industry to improve on last year ’s total,” Don Farrelll said. Farrell is the founder and director of “Care to Ride.” “To see that exceeded by 50% is astounding. The credit goes to the generosity of the corporate sponsors and the good people who came out and participated.”

The participants enjoyed music and refreshments before the event at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in Hershey, PA. The cyclists then rode to the headquarters of the Pennsylvania Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association. The motorcycles rode through the Pennsylvania countryside and rested at Cabela’s Outdoor Outfitters. The walkers walked a local path on a 5K route.

 Source: Contractor Mag.com

More than sixty cyclists joined the first “Pan Ohio Hope Ride” for a four day, 300 mile ride to benefit the American Cancer Society. Funds raised benefited Hope Lodges in both Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio. The cyclists raised more than 100,000. The Hope Lodges, run by the American Cancer Society provide a “home away from home” no-cost housing for cancer patients during treatment. The lodges have served more than 3,000 cancer patients to date. The American Cancer Society has 22 Hope Lodges around the country.

The ride began on Thursday, August 9th in Cleveland. Cyclists averaged seventy miles each day on the 300 mile route. Riders stopped and spent the night at Wooster College in Wooster, Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware (OH) and Antioch College in Yellow Springs. The cyclists completed their ride on Sunday, August 12th at the Cincinnati Hope Lodge.

Sources: Community Press, American Cancer Society: Pan Ohio

One of the fun things about athletic events for charities is hearing about all the great people who participate in them. No matter what kind of event you are doing, whether it’s a marathon, bike race or something else is that it can really be an adventure.

I came across a great blog post today from Christina, who recently completed the MS 150 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. She rode with the Patti’s Paladins team who was one of the highest fundraising groups participating in the Ohio Buckeye Chapter’s  Pedal To The Point. The last day was especially tough for her and everyone on the ride as the weather was really not on their side…

At rest stops there were sodden riders huddled in Ryder rental trucks to get out of the wind, and paramedics asking everyone to make sure if their lips turned blue and they were shivering, that they should STOP RIDING NOW. I rode this day mostly with teammates Mel (sis-in-law), Cathy and her hubby Mickey, and Gretchen, and that helped me immensely (see above rant about riding alone.) Even the fastest riders don’t do so well in driving rainstorms.

Read Christina’s Story

In the end of July Donald Jacobsma, Orland Park, Illinois understood that the Holy Spirit had given him a very special mission. He was to ride his bicycle from Orland Park, Illinois to Cincinnati, Ohio. Jacobsma wanted to attend the Promise Keepers convention on August 17th in Cincinnati, Ohio. But Jacobsma was not only a bicyclist, he was overweight and out of shape with only a lady’s bicycle in the house.

Jacobsma ordered a custom-made Trek 1000 bicycle and started his training for the 750 mile ride.

“The first week I rode, I was tired,” Jacobsma said — and sore. “The second week I rode, it was like I couldn’t wait to ride after I got home. It’s addictive, I think — but it’s a good addiction.”

Source: DailySouthtown

Jacobsma is riding to Cincinnati to honor his wife Grace who died in December 2005. Grace had muscular dystrophy and asthma. His bicycle trip is a fundraiser and he has asked friends, co-workers and just about everyone to be his sponsor to raise funds for muscular dystrophy. He is also raising funds for any other charity that the donor might select.

The bicycle trip to Cincinati is expected to take ten days round trip.