While the Connecticut Burns Care Foundation could not hold the 2020 summer camp, they have stayed connected to the campers and are planning for 2021! With AngelRide’s support, the 2020 “seniors” will be invited to return to Camp in 2021 to take part in their celebratory last-year-of-camp traditions! Yippee!

Dear sponsorship providers, supporters, encouragers and worriers: Angel Ride 2014 is complete!

AngelRide 2014 was such an inspiring experience, I just had to share. I can only imagine what 2015 will bring.

Day One: Beginnings

With overcast skies and drying roads, Day One was on! Angel Riders from across the US and the world busied themselves getting ready, fiddling with tire pressure, water bottles, riding gear, food and rider numbers. I also had the privilege of supporting a couple of first year VIP Angel Riders, who had made the long trek to be at the start, more on this later!

Reality hit me as I headed out of the Yale School of Music: I was about to take on the single longest ride of my life while climbing close to 6000 feet of elevation over the 87 miles of day one.

I was greeted at the lunch stop in East Windsor by my #1 support crew – my wife Pam, my son Jack, my daughter Marni, and my parents. They were rattling cow bells and making as much noise as possible for each rider that came into the lunch stop. 50 miles completed.

The run to the finish of Day One challenged me to my core.

I had been warned by my Covidien CT Cares teammates that the climb from the last rest stop was the nemesis of all those who accept the Angel Ride challenge. Steep and unforgiving, this climb preys on the riders who have given everything to get this far. At no point in the ride thus far had I contemplated walking a hill, but I admit that if I could have unclipped from my pedals without falling off, I would have walked. By the time I crested the climb I was convinced that something was mechanically wrong with my bike because of the effort required to turn the pedals.

The last 18 miles of the day was an exercise in determination and willpower. Slight uphill grades made my legs feel like lead, and any headwind felt like a howling gale.

Nothing can prepare you for the emotional roller coaster when you finally pass through the gates and under the Hole in the Wall Gang arch that leads into Camp. You ride over a causeway bridge lined with the faces of the children who have attended the camp, and then it hits you. You realize again the importance of why you are riding. These children who are suffering with a serious illness don’t train for long stays in a hospital; they don’t have time to prepare for the journey ahead, they simply face the disease head on and never stop climbing. 87 miles completed.

I mentioned the VIP riders above. I’d like to introduce you all to Greig Trout, a British guy with a story to tell and a mission to help change the lives of others!

Greig beat cancer as a child and, as an adult, beat bowel cancer. He had set up 101 things to do when you survive (you don’t even have to Google it, I did it for you), and through selling everything he owned and saving everything he could, Greig decided to set off around the world to raise awareness that there is life after cancer.

He was looking for challenges—random challenges from those who followed his path around the world. So, naturally, I challenged him to complete the Angel Ride and help to change the life of a sick child. Greig graciously accepted.

He was initially set to ride in Angel Ride 2015, but with 4 weeks to go I received and email from Greig who at the time was somewhere in the depths of Argentina, asking if he could change plans and ride this year. He would fly in and experience AngelRide before continuing his around the world adventure, his brother Barry would fly in from the UK to join, and their Mum would make the transatlantic flight to join AngelRide as a volunteer.

Not only has Greig beaten cancer twice, he also has a couple of additional factors to take into consideration: one kidney, Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) that restricts blood flow back to the heart from the legs….and he hadn’t ridden a bike in 25 years! Nothing like stacking the odds in your favor!!

Greig and Barry both completed Day One without walking a single hill and without using the services of the Support and Gear (SAG) wagon to take them to the next rest stop. The route has 6000ft of elevation change within 87 miles. They were an inspiration to each and every AngelRider. The takeaway—drive, determination and shear willpower knows no bounds.

Day Two: Ashford to Mystic.

I had the privilege to complete Day Two in the company of Greig and Barry. I watched Greig dig deep into the mental reserves to push through Day One’s toll. He never complained—not once. He just went about engineering a way to ensure that he finished AngelRide 2014. Just as on Day One, neither Greig nor Barry walked any of the hills or used the SAG team services. 53 miles completed.

Both riders completed the entire 140 miles, and climbed 9000ft of hills.

Thoughts

Many people have asked me what makes AngelRide and the Hole in The Wall Gang Hospital Outreach® Program (HITWG – HOP) so special, what is it that brings riders back year after year. I think I might finally have my answer.

The reward for a rider is being able to experience the sense of accomplishment as you pass under the HITWG arch on the entrance to camp or crossing the finish line in Mystic. It’s seeing the faces of the children whose lives have been changed by something you were a part of one year before; it’s knowing that we (the team) are helping to change the life of the next sick child who comes under the care and support of the HOP team. Children deserve the chance to simply be children, regardless of any illness.

The reward for 140 hard miles on a bicycle is such an emotional roller coaster, you cannot imagine! To be honest, the effort to ride 140 miles on a bicycle pales in comparison to the effort each child puts into beating their illness.

AngelRide 2014 was memorable for lots of different reasons: supportive volunteers who look after each rider at every rest stop, the Moto Crew and SAG teams for making sure everyone is safe on the route, fellow riders who support each other over every mile, and the inspirational ride by Greig and his brother on day one and two.

But all of you reading this are also part of the AngelRide team. You help to make it memorable each year, through your generosity you help to change the life of a sick child. You make the magic materialize, without your support none of this would happen.

Walk tall and smile, you have changed the life of a sick child.

Now you know why….

I leave you with the following quote:

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”

– Muhammad Ali

Thank you for everything, and Never Stop Climbing!

– Andy Heeps

If I haven’t said it before, I will say it again. I have a really hard time coming out and asking people for money.

So, as I said in my first blogpost I try to invite them to become part of the team by donating. It just works better for me, suits my personality more. I would much rather say, “won’t you join me in supporting the HOP?” rather than, “Oh, by the way, do you want to donate?” Although, over the last few years I have gotten better at just asking, I guess it takes practice!

That being said, I have stumbled upon a couple of fun ways to raise some cash. Some of them take a little bit of work, others, not so much. Keep in mind, these are in my opinion only, some that really won’t work for me, may be a goldmine for you!

Let’s start with The Bad (IMO):

Most restaurants do this, at least in my area. You agree to a date and time (usually a weeknight, when they aren’t so busy). You encourage your friends to join you at a certain restaurant chain, order a dinner and a percentage, typically 10% goes to the fundraising. Often, your friends have to present a coupon in order for you to get the donation, and the catch is, you can’t stand in front of the restaurant and hand out the coupons. You have to print them out and give them to your friends to take in. So the point of this is for you to bring as many people into the restaurant as possible.

I have not tried any of these fundraisers firsthand, but I did attend a couple. I spent 50 bucks on a dinner for myself, husband and son, and my friend got $5 towards her fundraising. I would have much rather cooked at home and just given her the 50 bucks. I think depending on your group of friends, and the number of people you can get out on a weeknight, these just work better for some than for others. It didn’t work that well for my friend, she was at the restaurant for quite a while and only netted about $85.

A Little Better:

Flatbread (www.flatbreadcompany.com) in Canton CT, does a benefit every Tuesday night (probably their least busy night of the week). They have an extensive process you go through, but it can work out well. You need to make a poster or banner, which they display to advertise your event. You need to get the word out. You can set up a table with items for auction, or have a ‘drawing’ to bring in a little extra cash.

I did this a couple of years ago. A friend painted a pretty nifty poster of me riding my bike (which for some reason now hangs in the Men’s Bathroom – I do not know why!)

The GOOD part of the Flatbread fundraiser is that you get $3.50 for each large flatbread sold between 5 and 9 PM, and $1.75 for each small, and that is eat in or carry out. I had my fundraiser in January (2011). It snowed, so attendance was not what I had hoped. I raised about $350.00 on the flatbreads, and another $300.00 on auction items (massages, hockey tickets, shrimp platter).

A word of caution. Be careful in how you word things. If you call something a raffle I think you have to get a license or something, calling it a drawing is okay. I used the term ‘auction’, and that was okay. I had fishbowls set up in front of each item or a tent card explaining the item and sold the little paper tickets, people put their name and phone number on the tickets, and put their ticket in the fishbowl in front of the item they wanted. It was fun and netting $300 for the items I had was fantastic! If you can get your hands on more coveted items it is even better!

Even Better:

I have had friends that were able to get restaurants to grant them the space, and then they send out invites and charge friends $20.00 to attend. The $20 usually covers a glass of wine and happy hour type foods. This does involve cash outlay, which doesn’t work for me, but may work for some!

Selling stuff:

Yankee Candle, Pampered Chef etc have fundraisers. You can research these, some are better than others. I can’t sell stuff at work unless it benefits the hospital or a hospital program, so they don’t fit into my plans. But, if your employer doesn’t have an issue with this, then I have heard that some of them work out well.

We did a “Boo Bar” sale at work to raise money to provide gifts for families at Christmas time (hospital supported program). The chocolate bars came from Munson’s and were a hit! We raised $500

The SMELLY!!!!!

Believe it or not, last year (and even still), I am collecting old shoes. The program I am using is run by a fellow in Holyoke, MA. It is called Rerun Shoes (www.rerunshors.com). And, if you are a pay it forward kind of person this fundraiser is a win-win-win for everyone involved. You collect gently worn shoes that fit the criteria they lay out on their website. The shoes are boxed up (work), and then either you take them up to Holyoke, if you have time and a truck, or a husband willing to help, or you ship them to Holyoke. I found driving them up there was easier because there are some restrictions on the size and weight of the boxes needed for shipment. Delivering the shoes netted me $0.50/lb for old shoes.

Rerun shoes provides jobs for disabled folks in Holyoke, who sort and pack the shoes. The shoes are then shipped to Africa, where they become part of a microbusiness, providing income for a family, and shoes (at a very, very low cost) for the community, AND if you are recycling minded this keeps a bunch of old rubber out of landfills. It worked very well for me, so much so that I am still collecting. If you can enlist the help of a high school, or church group of kids that need to do some community service even better! Keep the Lysol handy!

The Best/Easiest one I have done so far:

We have all seen the ads for this up and coming business called Paintbars! They go by various names, but they all offer pretty much the same thing. You get a canvas and paint, sit together with friends and paint a pre-determined picture with the help of an artist, all the while sipping wine and having snacks.

These establishments also offer private parties, and fundraisers. I used the Muse Paintbar (www.musepaintbar.com) in Blue Back Square in West Hartford. The cost of a class for a fundraiser is $45.00 per person and 40% of that goes to your charity. You have to provide them with the Tax ID, but that you can get from HITW. This by far was the most fun fundraiser I have done, with the least work involved on my part. I made a flyer to hand to friends at work, created the event on facebook. People sign up through the link provided by Muse. You do not have to handle money, or any of that! Muse offers a smaller room for the fundraiser and I believe it is capped at 22 people. You have to get at least 15 people to sign up and then if you want, they will open it to the public. I did have 3 ladies that signed up just because they saw it on the schedule and thought it was a great cause (and they liked the painting I chose!) I give this one a 4-Star rating as far as little work and easy to work with company. You are also able to bring items for auction if you want (I did not). My event did sell out, but then at the last minute some folks could not attend. I netted $378, and everyone had a great time!!!!

One last idea:

New Britain Rockcats (Fundraisers | New Britain Rock Cats Community )! They offer a fundraising package, you would have to see their website for details, but I have done 3 of them previously and they worked out very, very well. They have changed their policy recently, so it might not be the same as when I had fundraisers there, but it was a fun night of entertainment, and netted me about $200.00.

One thing to remember is that every dollar counts. So even the small additions to your fundraising can add up quickly. Enjoy the journey!

Fundraising is certainly not begging. It’s just the opposite. Fundraising is first and foremost a form of ministry. It is a way of announcing our vision and inviting other people into our mission. It is proclaiming what we believe in such a way that we offer other people an opportunity to participate with us in our vision.

Since there is still snow on the ground, and my bike is in the shop getting a major tune up and new wheel set, I have been able to focus on that other side of the charity ride coin. Fundraising. That evil word!

As I keep sending my letters and emails to folks, I realize more and more that fundraising is not an easy task. It isn’t that it is really hard, it just isn’t easy. And quite frankly, I just don’t like doing it. I keep going over and over in my mind that if I don’t ask someone to donate, the answer is always no. If I ask, the answer might be no, but it could quite possibly be yes! But still, asking that question is tough for some of us.

Recently though, I received a fundraising letter from an old friend. The letter included a quote that made me see fundraising a little bit differently (and yes, I donated to his cause!).

“Fundraising is certainly not begging. It’s just the opposite. Fundraising is first and foremost a form of ministry. It is a way of announcing our vision and inviting other people into our mission. It is proclaiming what we believe in such a way that we offer other people an opportunity to participate with us in our vision”
– Henri Nouwen.

What the heck did all that mean?

Well, when I read it, I thought, yeah, I am letting people know what my vision is. That I see smiles on the faces of children that are scared, stuck in a hospital, sick, wanting to be well, to run, laugh and play like all the other kids. I see visits from Camp, laughter, fun and maybe for a brief second, that one kid can forget that he is different, that he is sick, and he can just be a kid. I am inviting people to share in my vision. I am inviting people to participate in something good, to participate in my mission of helping people.

By committing to participate in Angel Ride 2015, I am sharing the vision of Hole in the Wall Gang, providing “a different kind of healing” to seriously ill children and their families throughout the Northeast, free of charge, building a community that celebrates the fun, friendship and spirit of childhood, where every kid can “raise a little hell.” My mission is to raise the necessary funds to support the ongoing needs of Camp and the Hospital Outreach® Program.

I am inviting you into my mission.

Come along with me and participate in supporting the programs that will create smiles on the faces of these seriously ill kids. Support a rider, volunteer, or even better yet, join the team (not up for 135 miles? Do the one day ride and enjoy the party at the end). I will pedal with you, and together we will ride those hills. Together we can and will support the programs that are so vital in providing “a different kind of healing”.