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Sunday, April 04, 2010


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TMR: Group is serious only about bicycling

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Check out a recent Baltimore Sun article on 'The Morning Ride' (TMR) cycling group which Adventures for the Cure supports and vice versa!

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/bal-ho.neighbors21mar21,0,7066700.story

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AFC calls for support of volunteer fire departments

Halethorpe, Md. - Adventures For the Cure (AFC) had the 2nd annual AFC Sugar Hill XC MTB race this past Saturday at Patapsco Valley State Park and what an awesome day it was! Thank you so much to everyone who helped make it a great race!

As always we are required by the park to have EMT's attend our race, for obvious reasons. Graciously the Howard County Fire Department donated their time by lending us 8 or so volunteers, two ambulances and a gator. The volunteers and equipment came from two local Volunteer Fire Departments, Elkridge and Clarksville.

Last year many people form the AFC team went out and supported the fire department by attending their pancake breakfast, we thought it'd be great to do the same this year! Please check out the details below on the upcoming pancake/country breafasts at the Elkridge and Clarksville VFD's. Please consider attending if you are able to and don't forget to wear your AFC polka dots! Thanks so much everyone and have a great day! (Ryan and I will be going to the Clarksville breakfast at around 8 AM this Sunday!)

Clarksville VFD's Country Breakfast
When: Sunday 3/28 (THIS WEEKEND!)
Where: 5th District VFD Clarksville; 5000 Signal Bell Lane, Clarksville, MD 21029
Time: 8:00 am - 12:00 noon
Price: Adults (11-59) - $9; Seniors (>60) - $8; Children (5-10) - $5; Children under 4 - free
http://www.fdvfd.com/fund-raising.php

Elkridge VFD's Pancake Breakfast
When: Sunday 4/11
Where: Station 1; 6275 Old Washington Rd., Elkridge, MD 21075
Time: 7:30 am - 11:00 am
Price: Adults - $7; Seniors (over 55) - $6; Children (5-12) - $5; Children under 5 - free
http://www.elkridgevfd.org/index.cfm?fs=events.eventView&Event_ID=48

-Laura Matt
AFC Sugar Hill MTB Race Director

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Driscoll Speaking at Parents of Children with Diabetes Meeting at AAMC Health Sciences Pavillion in Annapolis

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Parents of Children with Diabetes Meeting at AAMC Health Sciences Pavillion in Annapolis Calendar Of Events (www.HometownAnnapolis.com - The Capital)

Posted using ShareThis

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5K for Healthy Hearts presented by Women's Healthy H.E.A.R.T

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Costa Mesa, CA / Halethorpe, MD - Feb. 21, 2010 - Women's Healthly H.E.A.R.T. (WHH Fitness) is proud to present their 5K for Healthy Hearts on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 8am at Experian in Costa Mesa, CA. All the money donated for this 5K will go directly to Adventures For the Cure's Extreme Weekend For Children With Diabetes.

To donate, please visit:
http://adventuresforthecure.com/campaigns/whhFitness5k.html
or
http://www.razoo.com/story/5-K-For-Healthy-Hearts-Presented-By-Whh-Fitness


About Women's Healthy H.E.A.R.T
Women's Healthy H.E.A.R.T. is an organization that strives to change thousands of women’s lives through special exercises, counseling, action, and connection with friends and women going through the same struggles with weight loss.
To learn more visit our website at http://www.womenshealthyheart.org/ or on Facebook.

About Adventures for the Cure
Adventures For The Cure (AFC), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization and USA Cycling club which exists to raise awareness for diabetes, to show those diagnosed with diabetes and their families how leading a healthy and active lifestyle can move you beyond your perceived limits, and to raise funds for diabetes research. The organization also raises awareness and funds for other causes that the board of directors has selected. For more details, visit http://adventuresforthecure.com/ or on Facebook.

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Update From Kupenda

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Lauren Blair, who is on the AFC Board of Directors, recently went to Kenya with Kupenda for the Children to do research for a book that she is writing about the organization. While she was there she had the children of Kupenda pose for this picture thanking AFC for all the help we have given them through the years! AWESOME!







-Pat
LoveLife!

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AFC helps children in Haiti via USNS Comfort

Halethorpe, Md., Feb. 09, 2010 - Members of the Adventures for the Cure racing team answered the call for assistance from Erica Reed, one of two pediatricians serving Operation Unified Response aboard the USNS Comfort during its humanitarian and civic assistance mission in Haiti following the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck the Caribbean nation Jan 12. The USNS Comfort is a hospital ship that is three football fields long and one wide and has 250 hospital beds and a 550-person medical team that includes trauma surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, head and neck surgeons, eye surgeons and obstetricians and gynecologists.

Adventures for the Cure team members gathered numerous items from a wish list provided by Erica including children's games, toys, coloring books, Crayons, diapers, clothing and underwear for infants and young children.

Adam Driscoll helps box the many donated children items going to the USNS Comfort's pediactric unit for the victims of the Haiti earthquake

To learn more about Operation Unified Response aboard the USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), visit http://haiticomfort.blogspot.com/.

About Adventures for the Cure
Adventures For The Cure (AFC), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization and USA Cycling club which exists to raise awareness for diabetes, to show those diagnosed with diabetes and their families how leading a healthy and active lifestyle can move you beyond your perceived limits, and to raise funds for diabetes research. The organization also raises awareness and funds for other causes that the board of directors has selected. For more details, visit
http://adventuresforthecure.com/.






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2009: The year in review ..

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Halethorpe, Md., Jan. 08, 2010 - The past year of 2009 was an incredible year for Adventures for the Cure (AFC). The support we received from our donors, fans and supporters inspired us to improve our outreach programs and services to adults and children living with diabetes and our support for other worthy causes such as Kupenda for the Children and beyond.

Also, check out this athlete profile video spotlighting AFC co-founder Adam Driscoll at the JDRF 2009 Capitol Chapter Gala.



And now, a serious (and not-so-serious) look back at 2009 ...

January
February
  • Luke rides on his maiden voyage on special bicycle.
  • Lots and lots of base miles and training in preparation for record-setting push at the 2009 Race Across America (RAAM) in June. Did we mention it's still cold outside?
March
  • Princeton Sports presents Adam Driscoll and Pat Blair with Cannondale road and time trial bicycles for the 2009 Race Across America (RAAM).
April
  • AFC holds 1st (Annual) AFC Sugar Hill Cross-Country Mountain Bike (XC MTB) Race; raises more than $3,000 for diabetes programs.
  • 2nd Annual UMBC Cycle-o-Thon (led by Adam Driscoll, Alex Driscoll and Pat Blair and fellow UMBC cyclists) raise funds for Extreme Weekend and Kupenda for the Children.
  • AFC has over 20 riders compete in Baker's Dozen 13-hour Mountain Bike Race.
May
June
  • AFC's Adam Driscoll and Patrick Blair (and support crew!) compete and win the 2-man division of the 3,021-mile transcontinental event at the 2009 Race Across America (RAAM), The World's Toughest Bike Race. Raise over $30,000 for Extreme Weekend and Kupenda for the Children.
  • AFC goes Web 2.0 - uses Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Picasa, Flickr and other 25 social media sites to get connect with our fans, donors and supporters. David Harrity is expected to announce his entire takeover of the Internet. ;-)

July
August
September
  • Matt Gilman - Blind Time Trials Rider - joins the AFC Team; Matt was blinded by Type 1 diabetes but that doesn't stop him from performing incredible observed bike trial rides.
  • Laura Matt and David Harrity become newest members of the AFC Board of Directors.
  • AFC wins big at the Sugar Free Miles 5k (supporting diabetes causes). Top 2 overall (Adam Driscoll, Pat Blair), 2nd female (Tracy Kessler Driscoll) and age-group winner (Jennifer Blandford).
  • CYCLOCROSS!!! AFC team members like to get muddy and so begins the cyclocross season with events from the 2009 Mid-Atlantic Bicycle Racing Association (MABRA) and Mid-Atlantic Cross (MAC) series.
  • Adam Driscoll crushes the competition and wins the Cat B (Cat. 2/3/4) event at Charm City Cyclocross in Baltimore, Md.; moves up to Elite Men's (Cat. 1/2/3) races after that.

October

  • Annapolis Area Christian School students (led by Roberto Irias) raise more than $5,000 with AFC Bike-a-thon for Kenyan youth suffering from skin cancer due to albinism; funds go to support surgery and medical treatments.
  • "AFC Headquarters" gets much needed "woman's touch" with fresh coats of paint. (Why is this significant you ask? You have to seen the "before" and "after" shots of the townhouse to truly know why.) ;-)
  • University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) Magazine spotlights Adventures for the Cure and its causes.
  • By now, AFC members have easily ridden over 5,000 miles of early morning rides as part of TheMorningRide.com (TMR). Debate rages on whether that exceeds the amount of emails flying around the TMR's Google Group. ;-)
  • Team Adventures for the Cure racers (Bill Vickers and Mike Berry) win the EDGE 6-Hour Adventure Race.
  • Adam Driscoll competes in first UCI-level race at Granogue Cross; some say it was a bit muddy (that's the understatement of the century, check out this video!)
  • Numerous AFC team members compete in the Baltimore Marathon (running), Seagull Century Ride (cycling), Little River 24-hour Challenge (mountain biking), and Iron Cross (cyclocross)
  • Jose Cepeda captured 1st place in his age group (and 6th overall) wearing his Adventures for the Cure skinsuit at the 2009 Bassman Duathlon (3.1 mile run, 58 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) held in Bass River, New Jersey. Columbia-Md.-based Allyson Tufano garnered 2nd place female overall (and 4th overall).
  • Kristen Hughes Wimmer wins the solo female division in the 9 Hours of Endurance Duathlon (trail running and mountain biking relay) event at the EX2 Day of Endurance.
  • Laura Matt and Erin Wells win the Duo Female Division of the 6 Hours of Mountain Biking event at EX2 Day of Endurance.
  • Tracy Kessler capturing first overall female with a time of 22:51. And, Jen Blandford 3rd overall female with a time of 23:30 at the Harvest Harrier 5K Trail Run

November
  • By now, AFC team members have likely had over 1,000 gallons of CeraSport - our favorite performance-enhancing energy/re-hydration drink.
  • AFC supports the annual World Diabetes Day on November 14th.
  • Keith Rohr captures career first win (and 2nd win and ...) in cyclocross.
  • AFC captures 5th place overall in team standings for the 2009 MABRA Cyclocross Series Championship. Incredible support throughout season from family and friends, thanks!
  • AFC wins "Suitcase full of Sausage" at the Tacchino Ciclocross race (yeah, we're still trying to figure that one out. ;-)
  • Adam Driscoll wins the 2009 Maryland State Cyclocross Championship (Elite Men).
  • Keith Rohr wins the 2009 MABRA Cyclocross Series Championship (Master's Cat. 3/4).
  • Steve Klose wins the 2009 Maryland State Cyclocross Championship (Master's Cat. 3/4).
  • Avy Rohr wins the 2009 MABRA Cyclocross Series Championship, Race Championship and Maryland State Championship (Junior Women U16).
  • AFC begins the Christmas for Kupenda Campaign to raise funds for children with disabilities.
December
  • Conducted "Living with Diabetes" education session with staff at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service.
  • Adam Driscoll is upgraded to Category 1 Cyclocross by USA Cycling.
  • Patrick Blair is upgraded to Category 2 Cyclocross by USA Cycling.
  • Andrey Doroshenko is upgraded to Category 3 Cyclocross by USA Cycling.
  • AFC documentary film is shown as pre-quel to the DC Bicycle Film Festival.
  • GovLoop members and its AwesomeGov Fund supporters vote AFC as top charity and award more than $1,780.
  • AFC supporters raise more than $3,500 in our Christmas for Kupenda Campaign.

Stay tuned for what's on the horizon in 2010.

Love Life!

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AFC raises more than $3,500 for disabled children

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Washington, DC - Jan. 05, 2010 - This Christmas, Adventures for the Cure (AFC) once again joined forces with Kupenda for the Children.

As a part of our Christmas Campaign for Kupenda, AFC raised over $3,500 for children with disabilities in Kenya! During the holiday season, supporters of both organizations were encouraged to buy a gift (or a share of a gift) in a loved one's name for Kupenda. Gifts included physical therapy, emergency medical attention, classroom furniture, assistance equipment, corrective surgery, and student/teacher supplies. Due to your generosity and compassion in giving the most meaningful of gifts, the lives of children with disabilities will be dramatically changed in the new year! Thank you!

While this specific campaign is over, AFC continues to accept general donations for our numerous programs and donors may designate support children with disabilities via Kupenda.

About Kupenda for the Children
Kupenda for the Children is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt Christian-based organization that exists to meet the needs of children, with disabilities. Ultimately the goal is that these children will feel that they are loved and accepted.

Kupenda for the Children meets this mission through advocacy and sponsorship of school fees, child assistance and medical intervention, construction of special needs facilities, and the coordination of volunteer assistance. Kupenda serves children with disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, deafness, deformed or missing limbs, spina bifida, the effects of polio, visual impairment, Downs' syndrome, autism, epilepsy, and other physical and mental disabilities. To learn more, visit http://www.kupenda.org/.

About Adventures for the Cure
Adventures For The Cure (AFC), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization and USA Cycling club which exists to raise awareness for diabetes, to show those diagnosed with diabetes and their families how leading a healthy and active lifestyle can move you beyond your perceived limits, and to raise funds for diabetes research. The organization also raises awareness and funds for other causes that the board of directors has selected. For more details, visit http://adventuresforthecure.com/.

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'Tis the Season for Charity: AwesomeGov Combines Government 2.0 and Philanthropy

Monday, December 21, 2009

GovLoop members collectively decided that Adventures for the Cure

should receive AwesomeGov donation


Washington, DC - Dec. 21, 2009 -
In the spirit of the 2009 holiday season, did you know government employees are giving back more than ever? Each year, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), the world's largest and most successful annual workplace charity campaign run by federal employees, donates millions of dollars to hundreds of charities that provide health and human service benefits throughout the world.

Inspired by the success of the CFC, GovLoop emulates this model with the launch of the AwesomeGov Fund, but added a community-driven, government 2.0 twist. GovLoop asked its members to submit and vote on the charity that will receive the AwesomeGov donation. There were nearly 100 charities submitted by members, ranging from Code for America to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans to The Children's Inn.

By securing nearly 3,000 votes from GovLoop members, Adventures for the Cure (AFC) is the winning charity who will receive $1,800 from this innovative campaign. AFC will use the funds to support a diabetes camp for children and Kupenda for the Children, which helps children with disabilities in Kenya.

To kick-off AwesomeGov Fund, GovLoop donated $1.00 for each new government professional who joined the community between Nov. 15 and Dec. 15. During the campaign, more than 1,300 government professionals joined GovLoop. The additional donations funds given to AFC were part of the 12 Days of GovLoop Giving, which began on Dec. 3 as part of the AwesomeGov Fund campaign.



AFC was founded in 2005 by Adam Driscoll and Patrick Blair, recent college graduates who were beginning their careers with the federal government. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, they created a charity to help children with diabetes be active while effectively managing their condition. It was a topic Driscoll could relate to since he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child. Using social media tools to gain awareness, they have biked across country several times to raise thousands of dollars.

"Our goal is the provide children with diabetes the opportunity to maximize their ability to perform at their highest level in all areas of sports, fitness and life activities while maintaining intensive glucose control,” Blair said. “We are thankful to GovLoop for helping us create awareness for the millions of children who live with diabetes everyday who need to understand that while they have diabetes they can still live an active, healthy life."



AFC completely funds Extreme Weekend for Children with Diabetes, a camp designed to empower children with diabetes to achieve optimal athletic performance while learning how to tightly control their diabetes. AFC will give half of the AwesomeGov Funds to the camp and the other half to Kupenda.

"Promoting public service and giving back to the community are core values of the GovLoop community," said Steve Ressler, founder of GovLoop. "GovLoop members have donated more than $10,000 to a variety of charities through the Kiva GovLoop group. The AwesomeGov Fund reinforces the importance government professionals play in philanthropic organizations around the world."

GovLoop will donate at least 5 percent of revenue in 2010 to the AwesomeGov Fund in order to support activities including scholarships, trainings, charity donations and more for individuals and groups that promote public service and give back to the community.

For more information about AwesomeGov Fund, visit www.awesomegov.org. To see an interview with Blair and Driscoll, visit http://www.youtube.com/user/GovDelivery.

About GovLoop
GovLoop is the premier social network connecting the government community; a powerful space where those that work in and around government can collaborate, socialize and support each other in an effort to make government better. GovLoop's mission is to connect government to improve government. It is an active community of over 23,000 members from all levels of government and many countries that share knowledge on topics ranging from social media policy to technology to professional development. Members of the government community can join at www.govloop.com.

About Adventures For The Cure
Adventures For The Cure (AFC), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization and USA Cycling club which exists to raise awareness for diabetes, to show those diagnosed with diabetes and their families how leading a healthy and active lifestyle can move you beyond your perceived limits, and to raise funds for diabetes research. The organization also raises awareness and funds for other causes that the board of directors has selected. For more details, visit http://adventuresforthecure.com/.

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