TEAM BANNON RIDES FOR 5TH TIME

Betty Bannon discussed this at our meeting. It is a great story, so I also wanted to share it here. This ride is in honor of her late son.  In addition, several past Rotarians who have passed away of ALS were remembered at our last meeting. 

Dear Friends,

This summer will be the fifth year in a row that Team Bannon will bike the Tri-State Trek--270 miles in three days from Boston to New York--to raise money to help find a cure for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. We have been training hard, and will ride July 19, 20 and 21, 2013.

Team Bannon began in 2009 after my sister Lisa and I lost our brother, Chuck, to ALS after a three-year battle. We vowed to continue riding until we raise enough money to find a cure or treatment. Last year, Hugh Macdonnell, whose mother-in-law is afflicted with ALS, joined our team for the first time. This year we are expanding further to eight..yes eight riders..as the word spreads about this challenging ride that has done so much to raise awareness and funding for ALS research. In recognition of this expansion, we are renaming the team Crush ALS/Team Bannon.

Thanks to your generosity last year, Team Bannon exceeded our fundraising goals, raising over $25,000 and making us one of the Trek's top fundraisers. This year, we'd like to raise another $25,000 and surpass $100,000 total that we've raised since we began riding in 2009. This impressive amount has come from truly grassroots donations--$10 to $1000 donations--from hundreds of our friends and family. It's come from all of you.

And it's making a difference. As you remember from last year, ALS TDI, the Boston-based research lab which sponsors and utilizes our funds from the Trek, http://www.als.net had discovered two compounds to be promising treatment candidates for ALS. Well ALS TDI recently launched its first human clinical trial, and this very month, the trial is enrolling patients in four centers across the country. By the time we start riding the Trek, ALS patients will be testing this potential treatment - a significant accomplishment in the fight against this mysterious disease, which currently has no treatment or cure.


Please consider supporting me in our Trek by going to the following link and contributing: http://tst.als.net/BBannon

We will have a Facebook page this year (thanks to my niece Nell) so you can follow us on this amazing journey: https://www.facebook.com/CrushALSTeamBannon?hc_location=timeline

If you'd like to write a check, please make it out to Tri-State Trek/Breen Bannon and mail it to me at 3478 Bentwillow Lane, Youngstown, Ohio 44511, or give to me.

Thank you in advance. You make a difference. I am proud and humbled by your generosity.

Never give up!
Breen
[CRUSH ALS team bannon]

Hugh, Lisa & Breen 2012 Tri-State Trek