Pedaling with a Purpose

Hey there faithful Christi supporters. This is your "Webmaster" here with an important announcement (and request for your support). You see, I've decided to race my mountain bike in Michigan's only 100-mile mountain bike race, the Lumberjack 100. The event is going to be held on Saturday, June 17th in northern Michigan (yes, that means hills!) and I want you to help...

Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to come along and pedal for me. But what I would like from you is your financial support to help motivate me for the race. You see, I've decided to dedicate this race to the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation and have set up an online donation website to collect funds to benefit the CNCF. I'm sure to many of you a contribution will be MUCH more appealing than pedaling a bike in the woods for 100 miles, right?

Want to Donate?
I made a goal of raising $5,000 for CNCF and I'd love nothing more than to blow this away and far exceed this amount, but I need your help to make that happen. If you are interested in supporting me in my race and the CNCF, please visit my online site to make a contribution. There, you can learn all about the race and contribute (credit and debit cards are accepted). Or, if you prefer, you can send a check made payable to CNCF to me at my home address: 12369 Verona Rd., Battle Creek, MI 49014. The CNCF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so your donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

More Information...
There is an official press release located on my new Pedaling with a Purpose (PWP) website about my cycling event that you may also want to check out to learn more. I've started PWP with the hopes of making this an annual event to benefit great charities like the CNCF and others in my community.

Final Thoughts
I picked the CNCF at the recommendation of the Thomas Team. This great organization is actually the one that brought Christi and the amazing Dr. Maris together. They met at a CNCF conference on Neuroblastoma in July of 2003 and it's a good thing they did. Those of you who spend a lot of time here at Christi's blog and on her website know all about this miracle worker. Unfortunately, due to lack of funding the CNCF is not scheduled to have a conference this year, which is quite a disappointment to anyone battling this deadly disease. Hopefully through my efforts and your generosity they will be able to hold their conference again next year.

Also, not to take anything away from the American Cancer Society, which most likely does great things for adult cancers, but when you get ready to make your contribution decisions this year here are a couple of statistics that I found interesting. Of all the monies that are raised by the Relay for Lifes, only about 7% of them actually find their way to childhood cancer research. Unfortunately 0% go towards Neuroblastoma. So, if you think you are "helping" children like Christi by supporting the ACS, think again. It's through the direct efforts of dedicated organizations like the CNCF that really put your money to use in finding a cure for this beast called Neuroblastoma.

Thanks for your support...
-Eric/Webby/The Biking Banker