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Okay I did it. I registered for a 100 mile ride on September 30th. Yes THIS year... 2006.  http://www.mikeutley.org/biketour.html I have about 38 days to get ready to ride 100 miles. I don't know what I was thinking - but at least I don't have much time to worry! I'm going on my first training ride today. This bike tour is to benefit the Mike Utley foundation. If you don't remember Mike Utley here is a brief reminder:
"It was November 17, 1991 the Detroit Lions had scored in a crucial game against the Los Angeles Rams. Mike Utley felt he was invincible at 6' 6" and 315 pounds. He was at the top of his game, a champion, and thrilled to be doing what he loved, playing football. Mike Utley was attempting to throw a block during a pass play when he went down, Mike knew immediately that something was wrong. An eerie silence descended over the stadium as Mike lay there motionless. When they wheeled him off the field Mike gave the crowd a Thumbs Up! to let them know that he would return. Mike Utley #60 was paralyzed. Mike's courageous Thumbs Up! gesture has come to symbolize his fighting spirit. In his own fight to walk again Mike has focused all of his energies towards others suffering from spinal cord injuries. The Mike Utley Foundation was founded in January 1992 and is committed to providing financial support for rehabilitation, education and research for spinal cord related injuries." Now here comes the sales pitch! I can really use your help. I have set a personal goal to raise $2000 for the Mike Utley Foundation and I don't have much time to meet that goal. Donations are fully tax deductible, of course. You can donate online with a credit/debit card at: http://www.mikeutley.org/shop/product.esiml?PID=4 - please make sure to put my name Steve Bargelt, in the "Rider's Name" field! If you would prefer to write a check please contact me via the contact form on this site, enter your correct email address and I will respond with details of how to get the check to me. I will try my best to keep daily updates pumping out to my blog with information on how my training is progressing and how my fund raising efforts are coming along. Did You Know? - There are approximately two million people worldwide living with spinal cord injury; 11,000 new injuries are reported every year in the US with a new injury occurring every 48 minutes.
- Lifetime costs incurred by SCI individuals average $900,000 and can reach as high as $2.7 million depending on the level of injury.
- Vehicular accidents cause 50.4% of these spinal cord injuries. one-quarter 11.2% are the result of violence and 23.8% are the result of falls. Sports injuries account for 9.0% of these injuries. the remaining 5.6% of spinal cord injuries result from work related or other accidents.
- More than half (55%) of the SCI population was injured between the ages of 16 and 30. 80% of SCI individuals are male and approximately half (47%) are married at time of injury. 10 years after spinal cord injury, 58.1% are unemployed.
- The nation currently invests less than 1% of the costs of spinal cord injury into research that has the potential to restore function and substantially reduce the costs. Current annual costs of injuries: $9.7 billion; current research investments: less than $100 million from all sources- Federal, industry, foundation, and private donations.
tags: charity, plea, mike+utley, foundation, dam2dam
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