Ellicott City 5k!

Another charity event for raising money for Extreme Weekend and Kupenda! Wow!

Two Huge AFC Fundraising Successes!

Recently AFC has raised $5,789.35 with the SugarHill Mountain Bike Race and $3,071.33 with the Leesburg Bakers Dozen Auction! All of that money will be split between Extreme Weekend For Children With Diabetes and Kupenda For the Children.

Thanks to everyone who helped make these events happen!

Making a difference :)

AFC SugarHill 2011 Race Video

Check out this totally awesome race video of the AFC SugarHill 2011 Mountain Bike Race that we just had on May 19th.

Another Successful Bike Repair Night!

AFC held another successful Bike Repair Night for the Route 1 Day Center at Mike West's house! A total of 6 bikes were built to be sent to the shelter.

Thanks everyone!

More Help For The Route 1 Day Center

AFC Team Member Dan Hunt organized a jacket drive for to collect cold weather jackets for the Route 1 Day Center in Columbia, MD. He was able to collect 40 items (that is 60lbs worth)!

AWESOME!

Make it a Kupenda Christmas!

Buy someone a gift that matters. Give a donation to Kupenda on behalf of a friend or loved one and send them a Kupenda Christmas card!!

Rockburn Cyclocross - Food & Clothing Drive

Thank you to everyone who donated to AFC's Food & Clothing Drive at the Rockburn Cyclocross race this past weekend. Here is a report from Bill Blandford who delivered the goods:
Food and clothing donations from AFC's Rockburn CycloCross registration effort were delivered to the Route 1 Day Center last night at 5:30 PM. The polka dotted collection box (4'X2'X2') was overflowing with clothing and canned goods on race day. It took me 10 minutes to unload the box and pack it into the back of the SUV. The donations filled the entire cargo area all the way up to the windows!
When I arrived at the Route 1 Day Center a nice gentleman saw me unloading and I asked if he worked there. "No, he replied. I'm one of the lost souls. You look like you need some volunteers." Two minutes later the car was unloaded as 8 men arrived on the scene to help. Thanks and happy holiday wishes were exchanged by all and I can only imagine the activity surrounding the donations that ensued after I left. Props to all who contributed especially Jen and Madi for the brilliant idea.

2011 Extreme Weekend - Spring Edition

The next installment of DESTINY's Extreme Weekend For Children With Diabetes will be held on May 13-15, 2011.

Sign up now for this session now for reduced cost! $150.00 till March 1, 2011 after this date cost will go up to 180.00. Visit their website at http://www.diabetesdestiny.org for more information

DESTINY will be having a new program in September 2011 a family style retreat open to all people with Diabetes. Check the website for updated information soon!

-Pat
LoveLife!

Rob Irias' Ultra Ride For Kupenda!!

This past weekend on Saturday November 13th AFC Team Member, Rob Irias, rode his bike for a total of 200.58miles to raise money for Kupenda For The Children. His ride was nothing short of inspirational. Recently Kupenda sent out an email alerting everyone of their urgent need for funds. Rob was motivated by that email to go out and do something about it. He is still waiting for all of his donations to come in but he has raised well over $500 already!

Good job Rob. You are inspirational!!!

Wrench Fest for the Route 1 Day Center

This past weekend on Saturday November 13th team AFC assembled as Mike West's house to fix up some older and slightly used bicycles so that they could be donate to the Route 1 Day Center for the homeless. The center will lend these bikes to the homeless that they help as a means of transportation to/from their jobs.

AFC Team Members: Craig D, Greg, Bill B, Alain, Jim K, Steve K, Kevin L, Eric M, Jay M, Ben W, Dave T, Madi W, and Dan H assembled/fixed/repaired a total of 10 bikes to be donated.



-Pat
Adventures For the Cure
LoveLife!

Extreme Weekend 10/15-10/17 2010

Lisa Hardy is a member of the AFC Team and volunteered as a camp counselor during the Extreme Weekend For Children With Diabetes camp that was held this past weekend. Here is her summary of what the camp is all about...

Sandy Hill Campground is any outdoorsy kid's dream. The 211 acres of fields and woods offer many activities. The dining hall with rows of tables and plastic buckets with color-coded labels for knives, forks, and spoons. The soccer fields are strewn with soccer balls and frisbees. The ropes course has pulleys and harnesses, bags of helmets and leather gloves in crates. The wooden buildings for summer bunks are scattered at the top of a bluff over-looking the Chesapeake Bay to the east. Just slightly farther north, the C&D canal connects the Chesapeake to Delaware Bay and out into the Atlantic.
Diabetes camp isn't unlike any other regular summer camp. There are new people to meet, names to remember, camp food to digest, safety lectures to pay attention to. There are feats of strength, fear of heights, homesickness, and disgust of spiders. There's dirt and leaves and scrapes and bruises. But at diabetes camp there are also alcohol swabs, lancets, testing strips and glucose meters. At meals, there are pens and pencils and small squares of paper for campers to add up the carbs they eat at each meal. There are glucose tablets and juice boxes.

Any overnight camp is a character-building experience. Camper/Athletes learn to work together to climb a tower, encourage each other to "super-size" their starting points on the giant swing. (That means start from the highest point, and the scariest) The camper/athletes learn to keep track of their belongings without mom and dad. They make friends, hear inspiring stories from diabetic role models, and learn how to identify plants and seeds in the forest.
But none of that is the real value derived from camp. You can't put a price on the support network that is formed. For people dealing with a serious and sometimes frustrating illness, the real treasure is having peers, doctors, nurses, and resources to turn to when the going gets tough. Maybe they'll learn a tip from fellow diabetic camper/athlete that helps them. Maybe they'll learn about a new technology. Maybe they'll make a commitment to good habits that will avoid a complication or maximize years of healthy living.

All camp kids learn to overcome the stomach butterflies that arrive when you look down from the top of the climbing tower. Just like their non-diabetic peers, DESTINY. Camper/Athletes can take comfort in the camaraderie of having done something difficult with others. Our weekend was great fun, there were no safety incidents, and everyone is looking forward to coming back in the spring!

New Sponsor - Clear Edge IT Solutions, LLC

AFC is extremely happy to welcome our newest sponsor: Clear Edge IT Solutions, LLC. With their generous donation to AFC's 2010 fundraising, they will be helping us to raise money for Kupenda For the Children and Extreme Weekend For Children With Diabetes.

Not only did they make a donation directly to AFC as a sponsor, but at their annual company party they will be having a pie-throwing fundraising event that will benefit our causes!

Patrick Blair, co-founder of AFC, works at this great company. If you would like to know more or are even interested in job opportunities, please contact him at pblair12@gmail.com.

Thank you Clear Edge!

AFC Raises Over $2,500 for Cancer Research

Columbia, Md. (August 31, 2010) - Riders participating on the Adventures For The Cure team in the 24 Hours of Booty raised more than $2,500 in online and offline donations this past weekend for cancer research. 24 Hours of Booty is the official 24-hour ride of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which brings cyclists of all abilities together to raise vital funds for cancer research and survivorship. The non-competitive charity cycling event unites people who are passionate about fighting cancer. By benefiting both The Lance Armstrong Foundation and local, life-changing beneficiaries including the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults based in Howard County, Md., the 24 Hours of Booty experience represents hope, challenge, remembrance and celebration

Since its inception in 2002, 24 Hours of Booty has raised more than $1 million for cancer charities. That adds up to a lot of impactful change for the cancer community. Over $200,000 has been raised thus far from this year's Columbia, Md. event. If you would like to donate, please visit the Adventures For The Cure page.

Here are the local and national cancer charities that 24 Hours of Booty will provide funds to in 2010:

The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF)
The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) provides the practical information and tools people with cancer need to live life on their own terms. The LAF serves its mission through advocacy, public health and research.

The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (UCF)
Based in Howard County, Maryland, the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (UCF) was established in 1997 by Doug Ulman, a three-time cancer survivor who now serves as president of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The UCF’s mission is to enhance lives by supporting, educating and connecting young adults, and their loved ones, affected by cancer. For more information, visit www.ulmancancerfund.org or call toll-free 888-393-FUND.

The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (UCF) was established in 1997 by Doug Ulman, a three-time cancer survivor who now serves as President and CEO of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The UCF's mission is to support, educate and connect young adults affected by cancer.

The Hendrick Marrow Program
The Hendrick Marrow Program works with Be The Match Foundation® to support the work of the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP). It raises money to add more potential marrow donors to the NMDP's Be The Match Registry®, increasing the chances that more patients find their match. It also helps patients pay for some uninsured transplant costs, which are often a barrier to treatment.

The Brain Tumor Fund for the Carolinas

An organization dedicated to increasing public awareness of the impact of brain tumors along with providing support for the development of comprehensive treatment strategies and cooperative biomedical research efforts.

The Keep Pounding Fund
Honoring the late Carolina Panthers player and coach Sam Mills and former player Mark Fields, this fund benefits the Blumenthal Center for Cancer Research at Carolinas Medical Center.

About the 24 Hours of Booty
24 Hours of Booty, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charity located in Charlotte, NC that provides an extraordinary cycling event that is safe, fun, and open to all levels of cycling ability. The organization and event were named after the three-mile loop of roadway, nicknamed the "Booty Loop" – the location of 24 Hours of Booty of Charlotte – by local runners, cyclists and sports enthusiasts, in Charlotte, N.C.'s tree-lined Myers Park neighborhood. Its mission is to increase cancer awareness, support cancer research and programs and raise funds for The Lance Armstrong Foundation and local cancer charities such as The Keep Pounding Fund at Carolinas Medical Center, the Brain Tumor Fund for the Carolinas, and the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. Since its inception in 2002, 24 Hours of Booty has raised more than $1 million for cancer charities. For more information, call toll-free at 877-365-4417, or visit www.24hoursofbooty.org.

About Adventures For The Cure
Adventures For The Cure is a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization and USA Cycling Club that exists to raise awareness for diabetes, to show adults and children diagnosed with diabetes and their families how leading a healthy and active lifestyle can move you beyond your perceived limits, and to raise funds for diabetes research.

In addition to fighting diabetes, AFC was created to inspire everyone to use their gifts and talents to make positive change in the world around us. We have focused on using our love of cycling to accomplish this task, but any gift or talent can be used to help others and do something good! We are looking for new team members who share this vision.

The organization has also set out to inspire others to live healthy lifestyles and to adventure beyond their perceived limits, because ANYTH!NG Is Possible. For more information, visit www.adventuresforthecure.com.

CE Science Renews its Sponsorship

CE Science has renewed their sponsorship to AFC for this year. Every year we ask that our sponsors make a contribution to our charity in order to keep their official sponsorship status.


Garland Jackson who frequently rides with the many of the AFC Team Members every Tues and Thurs morning on TheMorningRide is owner of CE Science and they are always extremely generous with their sponsorship to AFC! Garland's son Alex Jackson is on the AFC Team and has raced in quite a few cyclocross races wearing the AFC jersey!!

You can read more about this awesome company on their Spring 2010 Newsletter.

Thank you so very much for continuing to support us as we raise money for Kupenda For the Children and Extreme Weekend!

New Sponsor - Marathon Minds

Adventures For the Cure would like to welcome our newest sponsor: Marathon Minds.


"Marathon Minds is a software and IT consulting firm that is happy to support Kupenda for the Children and The Extreme Weekend For Children With Diabetes Camp." - Lance Byrd


Lance and Annie Byrd have been good friends of AFC since our organization started. Lance just recently joined our team and you will be seeing him quite often at the Cyclocross races this season and on our local training rides!

Thank you for your support!!

Ethan Bodnaruk raises $1,090.15 for Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods

Ethan Bodnaruk's AFC Campaign to raise money for Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL) was a total and complete success! He managed to raise a total of $1,090.15. All of that money will go to SOIL's efforts to help the people of Haiti!

Check out Ethan's blog to read more about his adventures.

Congrats on your accomplishments Ethan!!

WnW Ride Discontinued

The AFC Wednesday Night World ride will be on hold until the next training season. We will probably start it back up in Feb or March 2011. Thanks for coming out!

See our training rides here:
http://adventuresforthecure.com/team/trainingRides.html

Ray Whitney's Mission to Raise Money for Cancer Research

AFC Team Member, Ray Whitney, has set a goal to raise $4,000 for cancer research.


He is going to raise the money by participating in an event called Pelotonia.

For more info on what he is doing check out his super cool blog: Wheelsucker Diaries.

Wednesday Night Worlds @ 5:30pm

WnW will now be starting at 5:30pm on Wednesday nights because we are loosing daylight.

Go here for additional information:
http://adventuresforthecure.com/team/trainingRides.html

Hope to see you all there!

Father and son riding 184 miles for Angelman Syndrome Foundation

Halethorpe, Md. (July 20, 2010) – Today Adventures For the Cure (AFC) announced a new fundraising campaign supporting the Angelman Syndrome Foundation, which provides research and support to fight this neuro-genetic disorder that occurs in 1 in 15,000 live births.

In 2008, AFC led a successful campaign for Luke's Bike. This summer, Luke and Stephen are using the bike to raise funds and awareness for Angelman Syndrome (AS). Luke along with his father Stephen Wright just completed the first leg of their 184-mile journey along the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal towpath.


Stephen Wright riding with son Luke on the bike's maiden voyage.

The following is a ride report from Stephen Wright after the completion of the first leg of their journey.

As many of you know, my son Luke and I are riding the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal towpath from Cumberland, West Virginia to Georgetown in northwest Washington, D.C., in three segments this summer, partly to raise funds and awareness of Angelman Syndrome. The guys at AFC have been great and have helped me set up a campaign on their website. Please inform any of your friends who may be looking for a tax-exempt donation for 2010.

The first segment, from Cumberland, W.V., to Hancock, Md., was completed Saturday July 17th and was a great success. Luke did very well, although I asked him to sit in his seat longer than I had hoped. My goal was to pedal at 15 mph, but that bike, with Luke on it weights over 75 lbs, and is tough to push. I managed 14-15 mph in segments, but mainly it was 12-13 mph for the ride. I was bonking for the last five or so, it was tough. The whole day, my beautiful wife was a perfect sag support. It was her idea to stop at Brewer's Alley in Frederick for a restorative burger and oatmeal stout!

One amazing stroke of luck was at the very end in Hancock. Luke was down and I was getting packed up for the drive home when the front tire started hissing. It just gave up after 60.5 miles, sitting in a parking lot. Although I had a spare and tools, of course, I thought the timing was pretty funny.

Our next leg will be from Hancock to Harper's Ferry, about 63 miles, on Saturday August 7, and the final leg will be Saturday August 28, where we'll sit around having a few pints after the ride. If any are interesting in riding part or all of these rides, let me know by emailing me directly [stephenwright41099 -@- yahoo.com] and I'll communicate the details to those interested. My wife will be in sag support again, but I'm afraid you will have to make all of your own arrangements for transport to and from. Our car can hold any food or water you'd like to have at pre-arranged pit stops. Thanks for considering!

To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit:
AFC Campaign for Angelman Syndrome Foundation
http://adventuresforthecure.com/campaigns/angelmanSyndrome.html

About the Angelman Syndrome Foundation
The Angelman Syndrome Foundation is a national organization of families, caregivers and medical professionals who care about those with Angelman Syndrome. Our mission is to advance the awareness and treatment of Angelman Syndrome through education and information, research, support and advocacy for individuals with Angelman Syndrome, their families, and other concerned parties. To learn more, visit http://www.angelman.org/. For a complete but brief introduction, go to http://www.angelman.org/about-us.

About Adventures for the Cure
Adventures For The Cure (AFC), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization and USA Cycling club which exists to raise awareness for diabetes, to show those diagnosed with diabetes and their families how leading a healthy and active lifestyle can move you beyond your perceived limits, and to raise funds for diabetes research. In addition to fighting diabetes, AFC was created to inspire everyone to use their gifts and talents to make positive change in the world around us. For more details, visit http://adventuresforthecure.com or on Facebook.

Permanent Link: http://blog.adventuresforthecure.com/2010/07/father-and-son-riding-184-miles-for.html