Bicyclists Race Rain To Raise Money
Before the rains came, several bike riders in the Milford area pedaled for a good cause Saturday.
The Milford Kiwanis Club held the bike-a-thon as its first fundraising event for the Kiwanis International Eliminate project, which seeks to end maternal and neonatal tetanus. Mostly in developing countries, 160 babies each day die from the easily-preventable tragedy of tetanus contracted during delivery under unclean conditions.
Around 20 children and parents brought their two-wheeled rides to the Milford School track from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and had their laps counted. Throughout this week, they will continue to collect pledges for the amount they rode: either a per-lap donation or a lump sum.
Mike Marshall and Mark Baumgartner, local road biking and mountain biking enthusiasts respectively, checked out riders’ bikes for safety before they hit the track. Submitting to the safety check, and completing other milestones such as one-mile or five-mile distances, earned participants a ticket for drawings of gift certificates, water bottles, helmets and bike-mounted strobe lights.
Fifty-eight laps was Lt. Tim Miller’s goal for the afternoon. Miller, an officer with the Milford Police Department, met it just as light showers began about 2:30 p.m. Nine-year-old Arrington Krull, however, rode despite the weather.
“I just get wet. It’ll dry,” Krull reasoned.
Joe and Gary Jenkins, the owners of Old School BMX, participated as well and displayed several of the BMX bikes they have restored. Kiwanis plans to repeat the fundraising event next year.