05 Jul

2016 Ride A Success!

On Friday, June 24th, Pat’s Pedaling Pack hit the road for their third annual 100-kilometer ride from the South Side of Chicago to Long Beach, Indiana. The ride raised over $55,000 for pediatric brain tumor research and patient support in honor of the life of Patrick Thomas McNamara. Patrick died at the age of 13, from a pediatric brain tumor disease known as ependymoma. Riders departed from St. Barnabas Church in the Beverly neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago and were led by Leaders Of The Pack Bradon Wiggins and Anthony Pappalas.

There are so many people who helped make the third annual Pat’s Pedaling Pack 100K ride and golf outing a success. So…
To our talented designers and experts who created logos and graphics, built a new website, made sponsor signs and printed rider t-shirts
To our early morning volunteers who arrived at St Barnabas at 4:30am on Friday morning to register our riders and distribute t-shirts as well as provide everyone with coffee, donuts, fruit and drinks
To the good Father at St. Barnabas for leading us in prayer, offering us his blessing and sharing his great sense of humor
To our bagpiper and drummer who sent us on our way with a motivating tune
To everyone who took a moment to talk to our 2016 Leaders Of The Pack, Anthony Pappalas and Bradon Wiggins and offered encouraging words and high-fives to help raise the spirits of the two boys and their families
To the Chicago Police and Hammond Police for helping us arrive safely to our first trail in Indiana
To Beverly Bike & Ski for donating a bike to Anthony Pappalas and providing our support vehicles with tires, tubes, pumps and more
To everyone who managed and crewed a SAG stop on a hot day and greeted our thirsty and hungry riders with cold beverages, snacks and words of encouragement
To everyone who set up the finish line and made sure the riders had plenty of beverages to celebrate their successful ride
To the Treehouse for a great post ride party and a very special tip of the hat to our friend and neighbor who ensured there was more than enough food and drink for all the riders
To our friends and neighbors who offered weekend accommodations to dozens of riders in their homes in Indiana
To our friend and neighbor who hosted a sunset party on the beach Friday night
To Michigan City Municipal Golf course who provided a great golf experience for everyone
To everyone who worked on the golf outing and the brothers who got us set up and ready to go on time without a hitch
To our friend and neighbor who sponsored two beverage carts on the course
To our friend and neighbor who hosted a party on Saturday night for the third year in a row and along with our chef friend cooked another awesome meal
To everyone who sponsored the warm-up ride, a SAG stop, starting line, finish line, post party, golf hole and even a port-a-potty
To everyone who sponsored a rider or donated to Pat Mac’s Pack
To all the riders who had coworkers, friends and families sponsor their individual ride
To all the riders who stopped and helped our injured rider and made sure he was well taken care of and received proper medical attention
To the many fathers and sons who joined us for the ride and for golf and who are creating a great tradition
And finally, to Patrick Thomas McNamara, whose inspiring life has brought us all together to build awareness and raise funds for pediatric brain tumor research and to help children and their families struggling with this disease.

To all of you, Pat Mac’s Pack says, Thank You!