Matt's Cigar Journal

Today was the 4th Annual Triangle Area Ride for Kids. We had a beautiful sunny day to ride in. I estimate there were upwards of 600 motorcyclists at the event. The route was well planned and the event expertly organized. We had a great ride followed by a fun celebration afterwards. We heard from one of the Researchers at Duke University Medical Center about some of the work that is being done with the money we all raise for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and as we do every year we got to meet some of the kids that this research benefits. The kids were great and provided the crowd with a lot of laughs. It makes me feel good to do this fund raising every year to help these kids and others like them. Each of you(all my donors) should feel good too knowing that your donations are going to such a great cause and will help these children in their battle with brain tumors.

Thank you so much to each and every one of you who donated this year. You all helped me beat my fund raising goal and put me among the top 10 individual fund raisers at this year’s event. I was able to raise $1405.00 and the combined efforts of all the riders at this year’s event raised over $91,000.00 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation this year. Thanks again for all your support.

-Matthew

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I am the proud father of a wonderful, happy, and healthy two year old girl. I am very thankful for this because I realize how precious a happy and healthy child is. This is, in part, why I participate in the Ride for Kids every year. My wife is pregnant again and my son is due to be born in just a few weeks. The joy and excitement of his pending arrival has reminded me how precious a healthy child is and has reaffirmed my commitment to this important and worthwhile charity.

I first got involved with fundraising for this charity when I learned my wife was pregnant with our first child. The prospect for being a father suddenly had me thinking (and worrying) about a lot of things that never occurred to me before. The Ride for Kids is a national fundraising organization for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the United States. This frightening and deadly disease affects thousands of children and their families. The PBTFUS is a nonprofit organization that seeks to find the cause and cure of brain tumors in children by supporting medical research, increasing public awareness of the disease and aiding in early detection and treatment of childhood brain tumors.

The 4th Annual Triangle Area Ride for Kids is coming up in May so I am starting my fund raising drive now. Please take a moment to visit my fund raising page, Matthew’s Triangle Ride for Kids Page, and if you can, make a donation to support my fundraising efforts. This year marks my 4th year working with this charity. Last year was a really great year. My friends (which include readers of this blog), family, and co-workers helped me to raise over $1000.00 for the PBTFUS. I was very proud to have reached such a high fundraising goal, and it earned me special recognition in the form of a photo plaque that noted my fundraising total and has a picture of me and my family with some of the kids who got to ride in the event. All told, the riders at last year’s event presented the PBTFUS with a check for $82,320.00. That is more than double the previous year’s total.

Every little bit helps so donations of any size are welcome and appreciated. If enough people donate as little as five or ten dollars I can quickly reach my goal of $1000.00. The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit charity and all donations are tax deductible. You can access my fundraising page by clicking the “Ride for Kids Donations” link on the left hand side of this page or by clicking the Ride for kids banner above.

Thank you so much for your support and your donations. It means a lot to me and the families dealing with this horrible disease.

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The Third Annual Triangle Area Ride for Kids was Sunday, May 7th. We were rained on the entire time, but even the cold rain couldn’’t ruin our fun. I had a really good time. There appeared to be about 100 plus motorcyclists in attendance, including Bill Gaines from NBC 17. It was cool to see him out there riding with us. The route for the ride was excellent. They took us along some nice country roads winding our way down to Pittsboro, then on to Sanford. We rode through the traffic circle in Pittsboro so that the kids riding in side cars at the front of the line could loop back and see all the motorcycles riding behind them. At the celebration at the end of the ride we heard some great stories from the patient families at the event, and we heard from one of the researchers at Duke University Hospital where the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation has an Institute. The ride this year raised over $80,000 dollars for the PBTFUS. Thank you to all of you who donated this year. I was able to raise $1055.00 this year, which is almost double what I raised the past two years combined. I got to have my picture taken with the ““Stars”” of the ride. I should be receiving a photo plaque soon with that picture on it. Thank you again to all of you who donated. Your generosity has provided me with quite a challenge for next years fund raising goal.

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I am the proud father of a wonderful, happy, and healthy baby girl. I am very thankful for this because I realize how precious a happy and healthy child is. This is, in part, why I participate in the Ride for Kids every year. I first got involved with fundraising for this charity when I learned my wife was pregnant. The prospect for being a father suddenly had me thinking (and worrying) about a lot of things that never occurred to me before. The Ride for Kids is a national fundraising organization for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the United States. This frightening and deadly disease affects thousands of children and their families. The PBTFUS is a nonprofit organization that seeks to find the cause and cure of brain tumors in children by supporting medical research, increasing public awareness of the disease and aiding in early detection and treatment of childhood brain tumors.

The 3rd Annual Triangle Area Ride for Kids is coming up in May so I am starting my fund raising drive now. Please take a moment to visit my fund raising page, Matthew’s Triangle Ride for Kids Page, and if you can, make a donation to support my fundraising efforts. Donations in any amount are welcome and very much appreciated. All donations are tax deductible. You can also access my fundraising page by clicking the “Ride for Kids Donations” link on the left hand side of this page.

Thank you so much for your support and your donations. It means a lot to me and the families dealing with this horrible disease.

Leave a Response »