This past weekend, I had the privilege of participating in the 2010 MS Bike Tour in NYC. It was a tremendous event with 5000 riders who had the option of doing a 30, 50 or 100 mile ride. I chose the 30 mile course, which was a loop around Manhattan, and the experience was well worth it. So what makes getting up at 5AM and doing a 2/12 hour bike ride worth it? The answer is simple: friends, family, and co-workers all pulling together for a common cause.
My brother, Peter (Skae Power Solutions), and New Leaf Brands support this event each year with a joint corporate team. When we decided to move Team New Leaf from the Westchester ride to the NY ride, we set a few simple goals.
First, we wanted to double the size of our team. A goal we more than surpassed as we had 85 riders for this ride, which was more than double last year’s 42-person team.
Next, we wanted to be a Top 10 fundraising team, which is no easy task considering we were in a group that included Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Barclays Capital, Blue Ribbon/Naked Nuggets, ING and JP Morgan Chase. We accomplished this task and as of today have raised $26,686 for MS. Our overall goal of raising $30,000 is definitely in reach. And you can still help, just click here.
Finally, we wanted to build awareness for the New Leaf Brand. With our colorful jerseys and aggressive sampling, I am certain that all 5,000 riders knew who we were. In fact, we took first prize for best team jersey.
This all happened because we had a community of support with us – friends, family, co-workers and colleagues – who helped us make these goals a reality.
As many of you know, my sister, Hannah, was diagnosed with MS several years ago. She is a real inspiration to me and does not let this stop her from living life to the fullest. As a matter of fact, she completed 2 triathlons this year! She was also one of the key catalysts to us having as many riders as we had.
We were happy to donate 85 cases of our iced teas and lemonades to sample to the thirsty riders and their entourages throughout the event, because we are a family company, and this type of support needs to live at every level. From Audy, Miguel, Delaney and Sheila holding down the fort at New Leaf’s sampling tent throughout the day to our many of our employees, friends, colleagues and family members rode their races or showed their support by making a donation, everyone who cared enough to support Team New Leaf is greatly appreciated.
And, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our team’s Top 5 fundraisers:
1) Patrick Yorke: $4,105
2) Peter Skae: $3,650
3) Caroline Skae: $850
4) Greg Scerba: $625
5) Niels Dua: $610
We are already planning big things for next year. Our goal is to have a New Leaf team riding in the MS Bike events in NYC and LA, possibly more. We have no intention of being complacent with our accomplishments, so our goals for the 2011 NYC ride are just as aggressive as this year’s were:
1) Top Tier Team
2) 200-rider Team
3) Raise $50,000
We look forward to seeing you there! To whet your appetite, here are some of our pictures from this year’s event on our Facebook page.
