RIDE FOR LIFE

When Beth Wieczorek of Grasonville hit the road for the 16th annual 16th annual “America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride” of 100 miles around Lake Tahoe, Nev. on June 3, she had more than just her brother and sister at her side.
Naturally, there were the 3,000 riders from across the country, there for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America's National Team In Training spring fund raising program. They rode to raise awareness and money for research to fight leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma.
But along in spirit were a number of extraordinarily generous people, some of whom have personal experience of these ailments yet have found the strength to help others.
This includes some 81 children and their families, fighting back through some very serious ailments, their relatives, and the Casey Cares Foundation of Arbutus which helps them.
“Through my involvement with the program,” Beth said “I have been amazed and inspired by the strength of these children and their families as they battle this disease.”
It’s not a race, says Beth. Of course, she wanted “ to finish and do well, but the main thing is to have fun, get fit, learn about cycling, to spend time with some great people in order to raise money for a a great cause. “
Beth is a member of the Society's Annapolis Team In Training which she calls “a wonderful cross section of people,” with team mates in their 30’s “to this one woman who is over 60. She’s really amazing.”
The team trains in Anne Arundel County, meeting at the Davidsonville Park & Ride, and going as far as Deale and Chesapeake Beach.
They’ve since expanded to the back roads near Ellicott City. Beth explained that the hilly country in that region is a good preparation for the longer distance around Lake Tahoe. “Riding 75 miles up and down hills into a head wind is a great way to get strong really fast. Of course, it also helps to be fairly fit at the start, but it is a great workout in any case.”
Also along was brother Will Grupenhoff, formerly of Annapolis and now San Diego, CA and sister Amie Hoff , a freelance writer and fitness consultant for the New York and Washington Sports Clubs.
Amie, who joined Team in Training last year, wanted to meet new people, but also raise money for a good cause. But “three months into training, my sister [Jennifer] was diagnosed with a blood disease the doctors’ described as a cousin to Leukemia. With so many diseases out there and charities/organizations raising funding, I knew then there was a reason I chose Team in Training, focusing on blood diseases.”
She has this to say of the experience. “Having my family with me on this ride, both physically and in spirit, is such a blessing. I'm lucky to have the chance to make a difference for those inflicted with the disease. Just seeing the smiles on the faces and sense of hope in their eyes while cheering us on along the route...that is why I ride.
Beth got involved in the program earlier this year, “when we learned Jennifer was diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia, a blood disorder that is a cousin to Leukemia. Due to the great strides made through research, her condition was quickly diagnosed and is being carefully monitored.”
She has another reason to fight this disease. “ My wonderful friend Rebecca Pitcher, of Moorestown, NJ. A survivor of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Rebecca was diagnosed at the age of 24, just 7 months after marriage. She has battled the disease for four years, undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, and a stem cell transplant.”
In October Rebecca reaches her 6th year of remission. Sadly, she and husband Ben are unable to have children as a result of the disease, but,”in 2004, I was approached my younger sister, Christina Bloch, [also] of Moorestown, NJ, and my sister-in-law Katherine Pitcher who lives in Rhinebeck, NY.
“They talked to one another and, knowing how much Ben and I wanted a family, offered the greatest gift anyone could ask for. Kathy offered to carry the child and Christina offered to donate eggs. Christina was a newlywed and had no children of her own yet. She offered her eggs to me and assumed the risks.”
They met with a fertility clinic and started the process in 2005. On March 15, 2005, the clinic called with the news. The baby, which you might say has one father but three mothers, is Cole Kruger Pitcher, born on November 18, 2005 at 6:03 am. He was 7 pds, 11 ounces.
Interestingly, Christina became pregnant, shortly afterwards. Ethan Jon Block, a healthy baby boy, was born December 26, 2005.
This bike ride isn’t the only way Beth uses athletics to help out. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Casey Cares, a non-profit organization that provides uplifting programs to critically ill children and their families in the Mid-Atlantic. Established in 2000 by Casey Baynes, it serve families with critically ill children throughout the mid-atlantic region.
Pam Goode, the press representative for Casey Cares, said Beth, an avid golfer, “heard about the Casey Cares Golf Tournament last year and wanted to help. She became so instrumental in helping us, that we asked her to become a board member.”
Pam added “ It doesn't surprise me that Beth is participating [in the ride]. She is so dedicated and philanthropic and will always go that extra mile if she can make a difference in a person's life - especially if that person is family.”
Casey Cares is largely staffed by volunteersm with some paid staff. HoweverCasey Baynes, the program’s founder and Executive Director doesn’t take a salary, preferring that money to go towards the children.
Casey Baynes, a 1996 graduate of Salisbury State was also the youngest Master's Degree recipient at Towson State University in 1998 at age 21.
After school, she worked for several years in the non-profit sector for a charity that helped critically ill children. Then she joined her family’s 125 year old company, Wollenweber Trucking and Warehouse, which donated the office space for her foundation.
In 2000 Casey left the family business to found the Casey Cares Foundation. Casey picked this cause because she noticed there was a need for a charity that provides families with something special to look forward to on a regular basis.
Among these events are the “Family Festivities Program,” offering families an opportunity to spend time together at sporting events, movies or local attractions; the “Birthday Blast Program,” helping children celebrate their birthdays with surprise deliveries of balloons, cookies or flowers; the “Celebration Vacation Program” which provides getaways for families. Finally, there is a program called “Better Together,” which encourages families who have lost a child to continue their participation for an additional year.
To learn more about the foundation and theride, contact Beth at ww.active.com/donate/tntmd/bethwiz or the Casey Cares Foundation, 1401 Rome Road, Baltimore, MD 21227 or www.caseycaresfoundation.org. Phone: 443-568-0064 or Fax: 410-247-7592