4600 Miles. 72 Days. 22 Riders 2 Wheels 1 Cause Team Update.

Transcription

1 4600 Miles 72 Days 22 Riders 2 Wheels 1 Cause 2016 Team Update Development Logistics Portraits Project Donations Contact

2 Team Development The 2016 Trek Bike America Team has 22 riders this year, coming from Illinois, Wisconsin, New Jersey, India, and China. The Team is composed of freshman to graduate students studying everything from Community Nonprofit Leadership to Engineering Physics. In our meetings so far our Riders have learned about fundraising and the beneficiaries we donate to, contacting stay-overs for our new 2016 route, and picking out bikes for their cross country tour. Before the end of the semester the Team will learn how to conduct Portraits and will collect a few before leaving for winter break. The Team started training early this year, and we are getting stronger every day. Several Illini 4000 Alumni have been helping lead training sessions this semester, allowing more training opportunities for the 2016 Team. Next semester we will start discussing the rules of the road, and will be training outside at the start of Spring. As Director of Team Development my goal is to mold strong, safe, and smart cyclists and see the Team complete their goal of cycling across the country with Illini Ashley Young, Director of Team Development

3 Logistics After several months of hard work, the 2016 Trek Bike America Team now knows where they will be riding! The Board of Directors voted to approve this summer s route in early November, and is proud to announce many exciting destinations. This year s team will venture through upstate New York and see Niagara Falls, bike the coast of Lake Erie to Cleveland, and then head south to continue through Central Ohio and Indiana. After making a homecoming in Champaign and Chicago, the team will head north through Wisconsin to Rochester and Minneapolis, Minnesota, visiting with several of our fantastic sponsors and beneficiaries along the way! They ll then head west through The Black Hills, Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone, to see just a few of America s most beautiful National Parks. They ll round the bend of Interstate 84 & 86 in Southern Idaho and then bike through the many forests and mountains of Oregon. They ll bend south in Bend and climb all the way up to Crater Lake, before visiting the beautiful Mt. Shasta in Northern California. Finally, after 72 days of riding, the team will ride across the glorious Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. I cannot wait for the 2016 team to begin their journey, I know they ll meet and inspire many great people across the nation, and have an exciting adventure all the while! Josh Weisberg, Director of Logistics

4 It s pretty incredible to think about the multitude of people that the Illini 4000 has interacted with over the past ten years. We ve collected well over 200 portraits and conversed with many more people about their experiences with cancer. This year s Portraits Project board (Blake Landry, Jane Phang, Jason Wang, Shutian Xu, Sam Yadron, and Zack Zlevor) has been doing some phenomenal work to provide a voice to the American cancer experience. We re working to organize the mountains of data that we have, create a Portraits book to commemorate the Illini 4000 s 10th anniversary, edit videos to put on our website, engage with more people by means of social media, and prepare the 2016 Bike America team so that they are well-equipped to conduct meaningful portraits next summer. While we re always striving to collect portraits and spread awareness during our journey across the country, we re also focused on fulfilling our mission in the Champaign-Urbana community. We ve started to form relationships with support groups in the area and work with other cancer-fighting organizations. During the month of February, which happens to be National Cancer Prevention month, the Portraits Project will be on display in a gallery in downtown Urbana. We re very excited about this opportunity--stay tuned for more details! Catherine Kemp, Portraits Project Director

5 Donations Every year Illini 4000 sets the bar high, aiming to raise $150,000 for cancer research and patient support services. While no team has managed to reach this stretch goal, the fairly large dollar amount acts as motivation for the team and the board of directors. This past October, Illini 4000 was able to donate $100,000 after expenses thanks to the effort put forth by the 2015 Trek Bike America Team and the Board of Directors. Of the total amount donated, 59% went towards research while 41% went towards patient support services. The breakdown: Research: Damon Runyon Research Foundation: $54,000 Dr. Brendan Harley: $5,000 Patient Support Services: American Cancer Society: $15,000 Camp Kesem Illinois: $15,000 B+: $10,000 Prairie Dragon Paddlers: $1,000 We, as an organization, are incredibly honored to have the opportunity to donate to and work with these incredible individuals and organizations. We encourage you to learn more about our beneficiaries and the extraordinary work they do, whether it be research or patient support services. If you ever have questions about our beneficiaries, feel free to reach out to us at:

6 Contact Us! Tyler Levy, President Graham Reese-Gawthorne, Treasurer Kevin Gibbons, Fundraising Ashley Young, Team Development Catherine Kemp, Portraits Project Jane Phang, Special Events Alex Kott, Marketing Josh Weisberg, Logistics Rishy Chacko, Information If you have any general comments or questions about our organization us at: For more information about Illini 4000: Facebook.com/illlini4000 Twitter and For more information about the Portraits Project: Facebook.com/PortraitsProject