Pick A Race. Pick a Charity. Make A Difference.

[caption id="attachment_66" align="alignright" width="282" caption="Helping cyclists raise money for worthy causes since 2006."][/caption]

Back in 2006 I started a website called Pedaling With a Purpose as a way to connect the sport I love (cycling) with my interest in fundraising for worthy causes. While there are a lot of organized rides that you can sign up for and raise money, the problem I had was the charity that I wanted to support didn’t have an “organized event”. So, I took matters in my own hands…

Today, Pedaling With a Purpose (www.PedalingWithaPurpose.org) is responsible for raising over $25,000 towards charitable efforts, mostly benefiting the Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation (www.NBHope.org). This rare form of child cancer is one that has impacted me profoundly, with very good friends of ours losing their daughter to this beast of a disease at the tender age of 9, after a four-year long battle. However, Christi’s fight inspired me (and countless others that were exposed to her story and bravery), to treat life as a precious gift and do what they can to make a difference while still here.

It’s my honor to carry on Christi’s memory with PWAP and help other like-minded cyclists to take the blessing of being able to race and connect it with something “bigger” and raise money for a worthy cause. Through a partnership with Active Giving Solutions, PWAP helps cyclists create their fundraising page to collect donations and track your results, offers tips on promotion and generating awareness and is there to help get the word out.

While my first several years of fundraising involved racing the Lumberjack 100, Michigan’s only 100-mile mountain bike race, I’ve since turned to triathlons and will be doing the Rev3 Half 70.3 mile triathlon this September at Cedar Point, in Ohio. My good friend (and fellow WSI Cycling team member) Kathy Roche-Wallace will be doing the Full Rev3 140.6 mile event and both of us will be raising money to support the CNCF.

If you’re a cyclist and interested in doing “something more” than simply crossing the finish line at an event this year, please let me know. Stop over to PWAP and learn more and then let’s get in touch. I’d love to help you put together your very own PWAP event and make a difference by supporting the charity of your choice. As the title of this post says, it’s as easy as 1-2-3. You pick a race, then pick your charity and through fundraising and awareness make a difference.

Keep the rubber side down…
Eric