The 2nd Annual Holiday Hill Climb Charity Ride

Hello friends and family,

With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up, I am again raising monies for those who go hungry or are struggling with medical issues or a cancer diagnosis this holiday season, and hope you will consider donating.

Like last year, I will be completing a Half Everest hill climb on my bike (https://everesting.cc/basecamp-rules/), which consists of riding up the same hill again and again on the same day until I reach 14,514 feet in vertical gain, half the elevation of Mt. Everest. This year, my goal is to exceed 15,000 feet--36 laps up and down a local hill here in Maine. 

For those who donated last year: we contributed $3,000 to three charities. See below for a snapshot of how that contribution postively impacted each charity.

If you contributed last year, I again thank you for your contribution. For those considering donating this year, there are three benefits to your donation:

·       You help those going hungry to put food on the table

·       You help medical and cancer patients get important support and assistance

·       You encourage me to suffer on the bike for more than 8 hours while climbing half the elevation of Mt. Everest.

All in all, sounds like a good value. 

To donate, visit my fundraising site at https://gofund.me/2301ecf8. I will be doing the ride one of the weekends before Thanksgiving.

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The goal of the hill climb is to support the same charities plus a new one:

The St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation in Bangor, Maine whose Bridge Fund is used to assist recently discharged patients who are struggling to buy food or find shelter; 

The Champion the Cure Challenge, which supports cancer research and provides assistance for cancer patients in Maine; 

The Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, which helps provide healthy food to kids experiencing hunger, families in need, and seniors facing food insecurity. 

AND … The MPN Foundation (https://www.mpnresearchfoundation.org/about-mpnrf/), a national organization that supports research in pursuit of new treatments for myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and provides patients with valuable education and resources. 

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What we accomplished in 2020 with the hill climb charity:

The St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation in Bangor, Maine whose Bridge Fund is used to assist recently discharged patients who are struggling to buy food or find shelter. The $1,000 contribution:

·       Purchased and delivered food to patients just out of the hospital struggling to make ends meet until community resources were available

·       Secured track phones for elderly patients and trafficking victims to help keep them in contact with case managers

·       Purchased portable shelter for homeless patients, who had no other means of shelter, as well as blankets, hats, mittens, and scarves

 

The Champion the Cure Challenge, which supports cancer research and provides assistance for cancer patients in Maine. The $1,000 contribution:

·       Provided patients with transportation and gas cards allowing them to make their chemo or radiation treatments

·       Helped patients with medical and dental needs that needed to be addressed prior to treatment

·       Supported local cancer treatment and helped patients access key clinical trials

 

The Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, which helps provide healthy food to kids experiencing hunger, families in need, and seniors facing food insecurity. The $1000 contribution helped accomplish one of these things:

·          Nutritious food for 8 children and their families to take home from school for an entire school year

·          About two and a half years of healthy meals for 1 Mainer

·          Roughly 8,000 meals for Mainers facing food insecurity