Riding for a cure
A group of cyclists representing the South Jersey Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) recently traveled to Lake Tahoe, Nevada, for the Ride to Cure Diabetes. The South Jersey group raised over $30,000 towards research for a cure for type 1 diabetes.
This year’s Tour de Tahoe hosted over 1800 riders, with 85 of them riding on behalf of JDRF in the Ride to Cure Diabetes. The 85 riders represented JDRF chapters from all across the country. The ride took participants along Lake Tahoe’s 72-mile shoreline.
Scott Kasper, Vice President of the JDRF South Jersey Chapter, located in Cherry Hill, was the highest individual fundraiser at the event. He raised more than $20,000 with the help of his wife, Rachel, who also rode in the event. In honor of his accomplishment, he was awarded a special green rider jersey at the pre-ride dinner celebration. The Kaspers, of Mt. Laurel, have two sons with type 1 diabetes and numerous extended family members also living with the disease.
“Having participated in the Walk to Cure Diabetes for many years, we felt that it was time to step up the pace,” Kasper explains. “Having finished the Ride, no other physical event I’ve participated in has been more challenging, more fun, nor more rewarding. I’m hooked and will be riding again next year.”
According to Tim St. Clair, JDRF Ride to Cure National Head Coach, the Lake Tahoe riders collectively raised over $500,000 for JDRF. A second team of South Jersey cyclists will be traveling to Tucson, Arizona, in November to take place in the Ride to Cure Diabetes being held there.
The Ride to Cure Diabetes takes place in five different locations and offers two separate challenges: raising funds for better treatments and a cure for type 1 diabetes, and reaching a personal training goal to prepare for a destination cycling experience.
The five rides are forecasted to collectively raise more than $5.5 million dollars for JDRF. For more information on the Ride to Cure program, visit http://ride.jdrf.org.
