Dirt, Sweat and Gears is all about the love…the love of bikes, good times, and the joys that come from being outside with like minded crazies. We are also committed to a good cause. Each year we will be selecting a new charity to support through DSG.
2009
Moots has donated a mountain bike frame for the DSG raffle grand prize. Each $10.00 donation equals an opportunity to win the Moots frame with proceeds benefiting SORBA to help in their continuing efforts to provide trail accessibility for the Southeast mountain biking community.
“This year is setting up to be a big one for both the DSG weekend and our trails. With Moots kicking in big-time, and top brands like Swiftwick and Ergon involved, we expect to have an incredibly memorable weekend, while we raise some serious money to support SORBA/IMBA,” said Grant Castle Co-Director of the big shindig. In an ongoing show of support, Ergon will again be offering a pair of Ergo GP1 grips to “Early Bird” SORBA/IMBA members who sign up for DSG. And if that’s not enough, all members will have a chance to win an Ergo BD2 pack at the race.
IMBA/SORBA – The Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA), IMBA’s regional presence, is the largest nonprofit mountain biking organization in the Southeast. SORBA members work with land managers in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee to create trails and trail systems for mountain bikers and other users to enjoy. Through advocacy, education, and recreational opportunities, SORBA carries out its mission to promote land access, trail preservation, and new trail development in order to enhance mountain bike touring, racing, fun, and fellowship for all mountain bicyclists in the southeastern United States. For more information visit: www.sorba.org
In 2007, thanks to the support of our racers (the aforementioned “crazies”) and a great bunch of sponsors we raised money for Al’s Pals, a charity founded to get the word out about Crohn’s Disease. This partnership was a great success as we were able to contribute $2,500 to a great cause and hopefully increase awareness about this illness. Al’s Pals founder Alex Page also had the unique opportunity to meet Pro Mountain Bike Endurance Diva Monique “Pua” Sawicki. They hit it off well and as a result, Pua is giving Al’s Pals a portion of the proceeds from the sale of her Team Mata Gear. Get the gear and support this great cause at:
http://www.teammata.com/gear.html
Learn more about Al’s Pals at:
http://www.alspalsfoundation.org
For year two we are teaming up with The American Cancer Society. This is a cause that hits especially close to home for us. Earlier this year DSG teammate Mark Cleveland’s wife Sheila was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. The good news is that Sheila is one tough lady and is doing great having recently completed her last round of chemotherapy treatment. Sheila’s battle has served to really bring this disease into focus for us and were excited about the opportunity to contribute to The American Cancer Society’s effort to Celebrate, Remember, and Fight Back.
• We celebrate the lives of those who have had cancer.
• We remember those we have lost.
• We fight back against a disease that takes too much.
American Cancer Society Relay For Life
Philosophy Statement
The American Cancer Society Relay For Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated.
Celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer. The strength of survivors inspires others to continue their fight. Remember loved ones lost to the disease. At Relay, those who have walked alongside people battling cancer can grieve and find healing. Fight Back – we Relay because we have been touched by cancer and desperately want to put an end to the disease. Make a commitment to save lives by taking up the fight.
Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature activity. It offers everyone in a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Year-round volunteer opportunities are available within the Society. Get involved and form a team today.
Call 1-800-ACS-2345 or log onto www.RelayForLife.org.
What is the American Cancer Society Relay For Life?
Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature activity. It is a unique event that offers communities an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Relays are 12 to 24 hours in length and go overnight. Teams of 10 to 15 people camp out at a local high school, college, park, or fairground and take turns walking, jogging, or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event.
Because Relay For Life is a community gathering rather than an athletic event, anyone and everyone can participate. Businesses, clubs, families, friends, hospitals, churches, schools, and service organizations form teams. These teams share a common purpose – supporting the American Cancer Society’s mission.
Why Relay?
The power of Relay allows a community to grieve for those lost to cancer and to celebrate those who have survived. For the newly diagnosed, Relay offers an opportunity to meet others who have survived the same type of cancer. For the cancer patient in treatment, Relay offers the opportunity to share experiences with others. For the long-term survivor, Relay brings recognition that the community cares about their struggle and closure to a trying time in life.
Caregivers are another group finding hope in Relay For Life. These individuals give their time, love, and support of friends, family, and neighbors who face cancer. At Relay, everyone understands the challenges and joys of being a caregiver. There is peace of mind in knowing that together we can face the challenges ahead.
Relay For Life is not just a fund raiser!
It is a unique activity that offers an opportunity to take up the fight. It is about empowering individuals to fight back against a disease that has taken so much from them. Never in history has an event so quickly galvanized people to fight back against this dreaded disease. Relay For Life provides our best opportunity for expanding fund raising, health initiatives, advocacy and volunteerism in communities throughout the nation.
General Relay Facts and Figures
Anyone who has stepped foot onto a track at Relay For Life has felt the impact that a single event can have on a community. Imagine, then, the power of nearly 4,800 communities across the nation united in a single cause. Here are a few of the numbers that show just how far Relay reaches.
· Relay began in 1985, when Dr. Gordy Klatt took the first step of his walk/jog/run around a track in Tacoma, Washington.
· Relay For Life is a worldwide movement that takes place in 19 countries outside the United States.
· Teams of eight to 15 people form a Relay team and campout at a local track, stadium, park, or fairground. They take turns walking, jogging, or running around a track or path.
· Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event.
· Relays are overnight events, up to 24 hours in length.
· Relay is a community gathering where everyone is welcome to participate. People from businesses, clubs, families, friends, hospitals, places of worship,
schools, and service club organizations come together to form teams.
· An estimated $407 million will be raised in 2007.
· More than $2.5 billion has been raised since 1985.
· In total, 4,800 communities hosted Relay For Life events in 2007, and more than 5,000 Relay For Life events are planned for 2008.
· This year saw a $32 million increase in funds over the previous year, representing an additional seven percent in fundraising income for 2007.
· Nationwide, Relayers raised $1.35 per capita.
· Across the United States, 246 new communities joined the Relay For Life movement in 2007.
· Relay For Life is the largest not-for-profit fundraising event in the world.
· Twenty-eight corporations and their employees are part of the Relay For Life National Corporate Team Program, and they are projected to raise more than
· $10 million in 2007.
THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
WHO WE ARE …
The American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization
dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and
diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy and service.
Since 1913, the American Cancer Society has helped lead the way in the fight against cancer. As a result, we have seen remarkable strides in cancer science, prevention and treatment.
Today, more than ever, our goals of saving lives and improving the quality of lives are within reach.
Together, We CAN Defeat Cancer
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action NetworkSM is the nonprofit, nonpartisan sister advocacy organization of the American Cancer Society. ACS CAN is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major public health problem through issue campaigns and voter education aimed at influencing lawmakers and candidates to support laws and policies that will help people fight cancer. ACS CAN does not endorse candidates and is not a political action committee (PAC).
ACS CAN builds on the more than 90 years of excellence of its sister organization, the American Cancer Society. As the Society’s advocacy and lobbying arm, ACS CAN provides the muscle necessary to bring attention to issues related to research funding, access to quality care, prevention, early detection, and treatment. ACS CAN also helps voters make informed decisions by serving as a trusted source of information about candidate positions on cancer-related concerns and on key issue campaigns like enacting smoke-free workplace laws across the country.
Conquering cancer is as much a matter of public policy as scientific discovery. ACS CAN is leading a nationwide grassroots army that advances the cancer community’s interests at all levels of government. ACS CAN’s determined advocates put a face on cancer and work to ensure that the 10.5 million survivors of this dreaded disease are seen and heard by lawmakers and elected officials.
ACS CAN gives hope and power to everyone who cares about cancer and wants their government to act. Together, we CAN make our voices heard. Together, we CAN defeat cancer.
www.acscan.org
