In This Issue PwP MAKES $50,000 GRANT From the President WALK A MILE FOR PETE Pedaling for a Cure in Palo Alto, Iowa   9th Annual Kent Bike & Hike-a-thon Central Ohio Re-Pete! Kent Sponsors Central Ohio Sponcors Pedal-with-Pete - Founded in 1993

Fall 2003 The Spokesman A newsletter of the Pedal-with-Pete Foundation Archives

 
PEDAL-WITH-PETE MAKES $50,000 GRANT

Cerebral Palsy Research to Benefit

        Pedal-with-Pete has presented their largest grant ever for cerebral palsy (CP) research. The grant represented combined efforts of several different groups. Students at Perry Local High School in northeastern Ohio sponsored a year-long project with cerebral palsy research as the beneficiary of more than $1500. Students at the 4-H Youth County Council in Palo Alto, Iowa held their annual bike ride. The Central Ohio Ride! For Pete's Sake and the Kent Bike & Hike event played an important role. Many generous and caring people were involved in reaching the $50,000 mark this year.
        The grant was presented to Dr. Leland Albright by PwP founder Pete Zeidner, at a dinner in Columbus on October 4. In introducing Dr. Albright, Pete commented, "When I met Dr. Albright I felt as though I had finally met the one person who truly and completely understood not only the medical aspects of my disability, but someone who also understood how I felt living each day with cerebral palsy." After accepting the check from Pete, Dr. Albright shared some interesting insights into CP and current CP research.
        Cerebral palsy affects about 2.5 children per one thousand births. The incidence is increased with multiple births, premature births, and among older mothers. A common misconception is that the abnormal movements and speech impediments of CP indicate impaired intellect. But this is wrong (although mental retardation occurs in some cases).
        Dr. Albright explained the movement disorders experienced by two-thirds of those with CP. He discussed methods of treatment which have been successful in alleviating some of the movement problems so that everyday tasks are less difficult to perform. Much progress has been made in the last twenty-five years, but there is still much to be done.

Dr. Albright's closing remarks included these three thoughts:
1) People with CP are people-like you and I-loved by God
2) Many with CP can be helped
3) Much research is needed by many more people



 

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

Greetings on behalf of Pedal-with-Pete!

    These are good days for Pedal-with-Pete. With the help of so many of you reading this article, fund raising to date has exceeded anything we have been able to do in a like period in any year past. That means that we are enabled to pass on to Dr. Leland Albright a grant of $50,000.00 for his work in cerebral palsy research. You can read about the dinner in which he participated and at which the presentation was made in the cover story of this issue
    So we are grateful. But we do not want to rest on our oars! With that in mind, there is word in this issue (see next page) on the second October "WALK A MILE for Pete". Plans are already underway for the bike- and walk-a-thons next summer. We hear undercurrents of plans to get events going in locations beyond the two in Ohio and the one in Iowa, with hopes that these may bear fruit in the near future. Once again we challenge you to aid and abet efforts to "get something going" where you are. We in Kent can help in these plans. Contact us for more information.
    The list of contributors grows, as you will see by perusing the list included in this piece. We are thankful for all of them and hope that the list will be even longer next issue.
We try to include clues of all that is going on for PwP. The fact is that we don't know everything. What is happening in your locale that might be of interest to others engaged in pursuing our mission? Let us know.

    On behalf of all of our volunteers, let me thank you once again for your interest and your contributions.

George Gaiser President, Pedal-with-Pete
 

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WALK A MILE FOR PETE. . . and his friends

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PEDALING FOR A CURE IN PALO ALTO, IOWA

 
September 21 was the day chosen by the 4-H Youth County Council for the 5th annual Pedal for a Cure Bike Ride. The event, organized by students, was open to all ages and 31 riders participated on a cloudy-but dry-afternoon. The ride began at the Fairgrounds and offered routes of six and 12 miles. First, second and third place prizes were awarded for most donations raised, as well as prizes for the youngest rider and the oldest rider. Additional door prizes were won via a drawing. Lemonade and cookies completed the afternoon.

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Sun Shines on 9th Annual Kent Bike & Hike-a-thon

    Kent area participants enjoyed sunny skies and gentle breezes when they gathered to walk and ride for the ninth annual Kent bike and hike-a-thon. After several years of rainy cold events, the weather was a welcome change! Participants came from Indiana, Pennsylvania and Lincoln, Nebraska as well as from all over northeastern Ohio.
    In addition to support from many faithful sponsors, Pedal-with-Pete received matching funds from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Wal-Mart. A foundation grant was given by the Kent Rotary. The Tetonis family won the prize for most dollars raised in pledges-more than $1000, and Susanne Tetonis also held the winning ticket for the GIANT Cypress Comfort Cross bike donated by Marty's Bike Shop in Stow, Ohio. Not to be outdone, Nathan Tetonis, almost three, demonstrated how to ride his tricycle-adapted by his dad-around the Fred Fuller parking lot.
 

 
Photos:
Top - Nathan rides his special bike; Four sisters, all Thrivent members, participate together; Two of more than 100 registered cyclists are ready to ride the route.
Bottom: Emily Schmidlin draws the winning bike raffle ticket with help from Edith Hebrank. George Gaiser, President of Pedal-with-Pete looks on; Door Prizes were received from many generous contributors; Tanya Duus won the prize for the greatest number of sponsors.

 

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Central Ohio Re-Pete!

    After the success of the 2002 "Ride, for Pete's Sake!" the Columbus-area volunteers weren't sure what could be done for an encore. Thanks to a lot of hard work by almost 50 volunteers, the 2003 "Ride, for Pete's Sake!"-or the "Re-Pete" as it was affectionately known-was bigger and better in just about every way.
    More than 300 riders enjoyed the sunny weather - an increase of more than 80% over last year, and a tribute to fabulous publicity from 1OTV (WBNS-TV) and generous promotion from the Columbus-area Bike Source stores. Riders chose from six well- planned, fully supported routes, including a first-ever 100-mile course. The food was great, thanks to a number of food sponsors, especially Chipotle Grill and Panera. There were even more door prizes this year. (See our sponsor list to check out all the generous organizations who helped-and please patronize them!) And the feedback from the riders was overwhelmingly positive.

    But best of all, over $25,000 was raised for CP research-almost double the 2002 total! (This figure, the net proceeds after expenses, represents more than 94% of funds collected.)
 
    What affected the volunteers the most? The half-dozen families touched by CP who came to participate, from as far away as Canton and Bucyrus. Pete was thrilled to meet with Andy, Scarlett, Jack, Ed, and Larry, and two-year-old Gabby sitting on Pete's lap was a sight few of those present will forget. The involvement of these families is one of the things that make the "Ride, for Pete's Sake!" so special.
    Congratulations to a couple of happy riders who left "Ride, for Pete's Sake!" with new bicycles: Michael Feeney took home a Giant Boulder, donated by Bike Source, for raising the most donations - $2031! - and Dennis Hoffer won the raffle bike, a Giant OCR 3touring bike.

    Thanks to all who worked, rode and donated to make the ride such a success! But, will there be a Columbus "Ride, for Pete's Sake!" in 2004? You bet! With such incredible support from the community, and CP research as badly needed as ever, who wants to stop now? Bring on the "Three-Pete"!

Pete and the Savage Hill Racers.

 

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>THANK YOU KENT BIKE & HIKE EVENT SPONSORS

Millennium - $1000 - Ray & Marty Wile, The Tetonis Family

Titanium - $500 - James & Maragret Zehnder, Kent Rotary Foundation, Dr. A. Leland Albright

Matching Gift Sponsors -Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Wal-Mart Foundation

Golden Spokes - $250 - Batteries Plus, William & Charlotte Fecht, Dr. Murray Fishel, Ray's Place, C Joseph Barnette, Dr. James M. Bailey & family, Bill's Painting, Tops Markets, LLC LifeCenter, Plus

Silver Chain - $100 - Minnette Beeson, Walt & Dorothy Raum, Robinson Memorial Hospital, Edwin Shaw Hospital, Dr. Stephen J Belli, DDS, Dr. Gregory A Lis, DDS, Hebrank Family, Terry E Miller ,Keith Gengras, Tires & More, Marty & Colleen Pohlod, Dr. Anthony C Iacobucci, DDS, George & Judy Gaiser, Cihlar Capital Management, Larry F Kannal, Wendy Lepish, Gary Lepish, Access to Independence, Dalton's Furniture, Greenamyer & Fox Ltd, Maynard Family Foundation, Susan Ferson, Robert C Schultz, Sandi Kemp, Haide Zeidner

Sole Supporters & Donations - $5 - $49 - Holly Griffith, Ron & Mary Rivett, Troy & Karen Leininger, Kristin Olson, Laurette McCann, Jack & Pat Burns, John Felten, Marge Oberuch, Kathleen M Bayless, Cynthia Rossi, Carol J Suomu, Scott D W 011, Jan & Joseph Rodriguez, Woodsy's Music Inc, Richard Lashley, Carol Turner, Amy Smithm Paul Joestleinm Donald L Snyderm Don Bredle, Mr & Mrs Donald Eckert, Steve Brezger, Bermuda Schwartz, Walter & Natali Fischer, Raelene Nickerson, Albine Stickney, Laura Whittle, BB Sound & Light

Door Prizes - ASW Services, Suzanne Tetonis, Cleveland Indians, LaCucina, Cali, Tops, Friendly Markets, Kent Rec Center, Akron Aeros, Trolley Tours of Cleveland, The Window Box, Guido's, Ruth White, Pizza Serena, The Pufferbelly Ltd., The Works Inc, Kent Plaza Theaters, Something Special, Message Therapy, Kent Floral, Pizza Hut, China City, Katie's Korner, Triangle Dry Cleaners, Today's Headline Salon, Cinemark, Phil the Fire Resturant, Malley's Chocolate, Pampered Chef

In-Kind Contributions- Trinity Lutheran Church, Kent Rents, Kent Parks & Recreation, Cooksey's, Culligan Water, Marty's Bike Shop, Target, Thrivent Financial, KSU Wellness & Recreation Center, Giant Eagle, Wal-Mart

 

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THANK YOU CENTRAL OHIO RIDE FOR PETE'S SAKE SPONSORS

Millennium Sponsors - $1000 - BikeSource, Grange Insurance, Safelite Auto Glass, Stolz-Mead Global, Tremont Pharmacy, WBNS-10 TV

Titanium Team Sponsors - $500 - AAA, Batteries Plus, John Rule, Healthy Opportunities

Golden Spoke Sponsors - $250 - Ben Franklin Plumbing, Camelot Dental Group, Crunelle Insurance Agency, Knight Wagner Mortgage, Nationwide/Chuck Jacoby, The Original Mattress Factory, Zuppa Restaurants

Silver Chain Sponsors - $100 _CARS-Clintonville Auto Repair Service, SARK-Software Architects

Food Sponsors - Chipotle Mexican Grill, Panera Bread, Anderson's General Store, Giant Eagle, Meijer, Kroger, McDonald's, 7Up

Door Prize Sponsors - Ace Hardware, BikeSource, Buffalo Wild Wings, Build Solid Strength & Fitness, Champps Americana, Columbus Children's Theatre, Columbus Crew, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Columbus Zoo, Cosi, COSI Columbus, Cup 0' Joe, Damon's Grille-Mill Run, Dave & Buster's Dutch Kitchen, Restaurant, First Watch, Funny Bone Comedy Club, Graeter's, Grant Health & Fitness Center, Hoggy's, Hometown Buffet, Johnny Rockets, Just Pies, LaChatelaine, Max & Erma's-Hilliard, Max & Erma's-Kenny Road, Mrs. Goodman's Baking Co., Northland Cyclery, On the Border, The Popcorn Outlet, Red Robin, Roadhouse Grill-Hilliard, Rooster's, Skyline Chili, Steak & Shake-Easton, Steak & Shake-Hilliard, Talita's Restaurant, Texas Roadhouse, Chick-fil-A

 

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                            Pedal-with-Pete - Founded in 1993
        Celebrating Ten Years of Support for Cerebral Palsy Research
                                            1993 - 2003

In July of this year, Pedal-with-Pete celebrated ten years of support for cerebral palsy research. Founded by Pete and friends after his successful ride around Ohio in 1991 to raise dollars for brain research, Pedal-with-Pete was incorporated in 1993 as a 501 (c)3 organization to raise awareness and funding for research to prevent and treat those with cerebral palsy. Some milestones over the last ten years:

1993 - Pedal-with-Pete founded in Kent, Ohio
1995 - September: First Kent Bike-a-thon held
1996 - Spring: The Spokesman, newsletter for Pedal-with-Pete is first published
1996 - May: Bike-a-thon held in Rocky River, Ohio
1996 - First grant made to cerebral palsy research
1997 - PwP gains national recognition through an article published in bond magazine
1998 - Kent annual bike-a-thons moved from September to May.
1999 - First PwP ride west of the Mississippi, sponsored by the 4-H Youth County Council of Palo Alto, Iowa
2001 - Walk-a-thon becomes a part of the Kent bike-a-thons
2002 - April: EP Magazine features story of Pedal-with-Pete for the special needs community
2002 - August: First Central Ohio Ride, for Pete's Sake!
2002 - October: WALK-A-MILE challenge introduced
2003 - Pedal-with-Pete makes $50,000 grant to cerebral palsy research

Pedal-with-Pete is a philanthropic organization
dedicated to raising money for research toward the prevention and treatment of cerebral palsy.

The Spokesman is published twice yearly in the Spring and Fall by Pedal-with-Pete.
Your thoughts and suggestions are always welcome.
Send your comments and ideas as well as change of address to one of the addresses above.
 

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