Running for Special Bikes

Meet Preston.

 He's 16 and has mitochondrial disease, which leaves him with low muscle tone and developmental delays. When he was 13, he received the gift of an adapted bike, which gave him a freedom of movement he had never had before.

His parents were so grateful for the donation that they decided to "pay it forward" by raising money so more kids with special needs could have bikes, and Preston's March for Energy was born.

I met Preston and his parents, Deb and Steve Buenaga, late in 2014, when a group of us at work did a Movement Challenge to raise money for their charity. Our entry fees in the contest added up to enough to buy a bike for another child, which we presented on campus right before Christmas:

 

At the presentation, I was chatting with Deb about our common interest in running, and I told her that I had just signed up to run the Shamrock 8K in Virgina Beach in March. I was puzzled because I had seen a reference to Preston's March for Energy on the race website, and Virginia Beach is a good four hours away from northern Delaware, where the charity is headquartered.

It turns out that Deb's sister is half of J&A Racing, which is the event coordinator for the Shamrock race weekend.

I decided right then that I wanted to do the 8K as a fundraiser. With my birthday in February, I could direct anyone who would normally give me a gift to donate instead. What does a 63-year-old need anyway?

My goal is to raise $500, and I'm almost there, but of course, more would be better!

So if any of my loyal readers would like to donate, here's my fundraising page.

Preston's March for Energy is truly helping kids' dreams come true.....

And thanks in advance if you decide to donate!