I Care I Cure I Cycle: The Joy of Giving

I spent the morning yesterday at Thanksgiving Day Programs at Fletcher's and
Miles' schools. As I sat there, I thought about how I could bring the end

of this ride and this season of giving together in a few paragraphs. I'm not as

eloquent as Jim or as focused as Glenn in my writing so I am usually

happy to just put captions to the photos and call that my contribution to the

blog. This time, I have the need to go further and deeper.

We all have our own ways of giving. We are so grateful that so many

of you have chosen to donate to I Care I Cure - those checks and credit

card contributions are so very crucial to the mission of our family's

foundation. Every single dollar is appreciated! Some of you have

supported us in other ways. We thank you for joining Glenn on the

road, for treating us to meals on the our journeys, for writing us

inspiring emails while we pedal and drive, for surprising us every day

with new friends and followers who have joined our big I Care I Cure

I Cycle family. There is something to be said for the phase, "It takes

a village"! We are all in this together - raising funds to assure that

kids in need are provided gentler and less toxic treatments for

childhood cancer. Not one child should have to suffer as Ian did.

Now to go a little further with thoughts of giving. We can all do

more! Glenn and I felt frustrated and helpless right after Ian's
death. We helped in whatever way we could but we knew we needed to
do more than just make yearly donations. That is how I Care I Cure I Cycle
came to be. It was a way to join Glenn's love of cycling and our need to
make a bigger impact and raise awareness for I Care I Cure and the race
for targeted therapies for childhood cancer. You all came on this journey
with us. Perhaps you feel that you can do more but don't know how to
accomplish that. I thought I would share some ideas!

I recently was contacted by a student from Dunwoody High School

right here in Atlanta. They have just started an I Care I Cure Student
Service Club at the school. Students can select community service projects
that relate to helping children living or dealing with cancer as well as other
projects that are a priority for their communities such as street clean-ups or
working in a homeless shelter. If you have children or a grandchildren
in High School, why not encourage them to start a Club in their school
and help them :) The I Care I Cure Administrator has kits and information.

Just click here to email Babette for more info!

If you are a retail business or restaurant owner, perhaps you could

pick a day and label it "I Care I Cure Day" and donate a small

percentage of your proceeds from that day to I Care I Cure?
If we are nearby, Glenn and I will come and lend support!

If you have small children or grandchildren, a lemonade stand is
always a great idea. They love it and are instilled with the
idea of service and giving to a worthy cause.

Our grandsons, Benji and Evan, ask to do this yearly!

The I Care I Cure Mitzvah Matters Program
is being introduced in synagogues around the country. The Mitzvah
Matters Program assumes that many teens around the country, who
are approaching their bar and bat mitzvahs, develop Mitzvah Projects in
conjunction with their celebrations to do mitzvot or “good deeds”. Any
teens that are interested in conducting I Care I Cure fundraisers or
participating in the Mitzvah Matters Program should
contact info@icareicure.org

Of course, the most obvious way to raise funds is by doing a
bike ride or a run (that is not a fundraiser for another charity)
and ask friends and family to support you and I Care I Cure.
All of you who do the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta could do
something like this. Better yet, plan to ride with Glenn on our
next I Care I Cure I Cycle adventure. It's not too early to let us
know you might be interested! The more the merrier!

Speaking of runs, I Care I Cure has a 5K and Family Fun Day
every year in Sunrise, FL. Join our team, We Are Family, or start your own!!
This year the event is on Sunday, February 7th at 8 AM.
Save the Date and come join this "FUN"raiser!

There are countless ways to give and feel good while doing it.
If you decide to do anything like this, let us know and we'll send out a blog update, announce it on Social Media and make you the star - just as you all have made us feel loved and important on this journey!

No blog post about I Care I Cure is complete without mention of Ian and his parents and brothers. The day Ian was diagnosed is forever etched in my mind. That day was shocking and unbelievable. Little
did we know that it would be the treatment for cancer and not the Leukemia itself that would be responsible for his death so quickly. This kind of tragedy strikes families every day. Beth and Brad, along with Noah and Grant have worked tirelessly for years to raise funds so that other families can be spared this outcome. We love them and are so very proud of them all. What we do is for them and in memory of Ian.

http://www.icareicure.org/
For more info about I Care I Cure

Beth and Brad with Ian, Noah and Grant
in the carefree days before I Care I Cure.

A Glimpse From Glenn

I was asked to give some thought about what I wanted to say for the last blog posting for this ride. I knew that it was not to just recount the morning's ride. The challenge made me think about the tours that I have done since 2000. The completion of a journey has meant much more than just doing a segment as we did up the East Coast. The first ride was the Big Ride across America, starting in Seattle and ending at the Lincoln Memorial in DC. On that day, I vividly recall how I was riding slower for I did not want the experience to end. There was little question how much I missed my family but during those seven weeks of being away, time just slowed down and it was so stress free. I could relate to the image that Lynn posted the other day of how the routine was to get up, eat enough to get through the day's ride and set up at the next camp and repeat. Being greeted by so many people and having the good fortune to have my family and other relatives meet me there was utter joy. I did not have the same feeling when I went from San Francisco to LA, probably because I wiped out about 10 miles before the end and I was just glad to be done. I can still show off the scraped areas on my wallet that I was carrying that day. Finishing the segments as we went up the East Coast Greenway just made me feel that I was getting closer to the goal of getting to Canada. It was not until I had the distinct pleasure of having my family, Laurie, Sean and my friends Don and Denise cross over into Canada with me that once again I had the sense of accomplishment and pride in a job well done. I must say that crossing over the Golden Gate last year was fantastic. The Pacific Northwest scenery was everything that I hoped it would be and I consider that to have been the ride that finished the West Coast having done the other segment earlier. This year I began the arduous process of going across the South. Mostly, I feel that way because I am concerned that the scenery will not be as varied and beautiful as the ride last year or the one across the US. But having started at the Mississippi and heading east, I felt that Tuesday was almost like concluding a ride. I was proud of myself for completing it and was quite emotional as I carried my bike and stepped into the Atlantic. It renewed my interest in completing the rest of the trip westward. After all, it is only about 1800 miles from New Orleans to San Diego!

I also thought about the varied intersections that one might have in life. Most often this is with the people who are meaningful to us as we interact over time. But in my quest to cycle around the country, I have now managed to achieve three such intersecting points in the perimeter I am trying to do. Seattle was the take off point for the cross country ride and also the starting point for the ride down the Pacific Coast. Washington DC was the end point for the cross country ride and a spot on the East Coast Greenway. St Augustine was along the East Coast Greenway in the south and also the terminus for my trip across the Southern US. Only one more and I will have my own version of four corners.

Lynn and I often have talked about how easy it was to get on a bike and go places in Lakewood, NJ, where we grew up. I suppose from my childhood the two most important interests I developed,and remain to this day, were biking and going to the library and reading. I listed those as hobbies when I did my residency application and they seemed so simplistic. I never would have imagined that the passion for biking would take off during that time and during our residence in Pennsylvania. I have no clue as to how many miles I have ridden in my life but I am sure it would be sufficient to have me go several times around the earth. Sometimes I think about how much gas I have saved by riding to work. Other times I have considered how much I have been able to raise for charities including: Tour De Cure(Diabetes Association), MS Rides, Big Ride(Lung Association) and the California Coast Classic(Arthritis Foundation). When I first read about the East Coast Greenway in 2003, I thought it would be a neat thing to do. I thought I would once again do it as a charity ride but ask people to donate to the charity of their choice. After all, at that time Ian was a healthy 8 year old who shared an interest with me in baseball and appeared to have infinite options in his future as he was bright and spirited. Unfortunately, that was not to be and Lynn and I decided that I would put the miles in and we would do our part to raise funds for I Care I Cure in his memory and honor. I think of him often during the rides as there is plenty of time to think and hope that the contributions that are made will be helpful for many families who will encounter similar problems to his. So thanks to all of you for making these efforts so meaningful and memorable.

Till the next segment ~ Westward Ho to El Paso!

Glenn

Considering that the SAG vehicle gets between
17-24 mpg, the bike"gas" mileage is pretty amazing!

On our way home from St. Augustine in the car,
Glenn suggested that I mention on Social
Media and in the blog that we would match
any donations that we received between 2 pm
on Tuesday, November 17 and 8 am on Wednesday,
November 18. Your response was overwhelming
and so very much appreciated. Thanks To You,
we raised $1336.00 in that time period which
added an additional $2672 to the total with our
matching donation.

We are proud to announce that the
2015 I Care I Cure I Cycle
New Orleans to St. Augustine Ride
raised $6444.00 for I Care I Cure!

Click Here to Donate

We'd like to thank our children and
grandchildren for their constant support
during these bike rides. They checked in
each day and were happy to hear that PA
has reached his next destination safely!

A note Glenn received from Evan,
our 6 year old grandson, while we
were on the road.

A collage done by grandson Miles, 5, after our return!

Many thanks to our sister and
brother-in-law, Laurie and Jim Beaty
for joining us on these last two rides!
Couldn't have done it without you!

Now Glenn will get some much needed rest.
To assure this, I delivered his bike to
the repair shop yesterday for a tune-up.
680 miles takes it toll on man and bicycle!

After the ride from Seattle to San Francisco,
we did not have a plan for the next ride.
It was unlike Glenn not to have a goal!

This time, thoughts about the next adventure
have surfaced already! The southern
part of the country West of the Mississippi
has to be conquered! Below is a possible
route suggested by Google Maps.
We'll see! That's a lot of miles!