Cedar Hill Rotary Club Runs Successful Rally
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On May 10, the Rotary Club of Cedar Hill once again played host to bicycling enthusiasts from around the Metroplex and beyond, with some riders traveling from as far away as New Jersey. The second annual Head for the Hills Cedar Hill Bike Rally was a great success with almost 1,000 riders, which surpassed last year’s number of participants.
The 2007 rally set the stage for New Jersey resident Sharon Luis to meet her future fiancée, Matt Harrison of Dallas. This year both Sharon and Matt, who has relocated to New Jersey, returned for the 2008 event to “reminisce” and visit with local friends Stacey and David Copeland.
Other rally participants came in all shapes and sizes, ages and attitudes. Every kind of bicycle imaginable seemed to be at the rally… even a bicycle built for four sported by one young family. And the rally participants ranged from young children enjoying the day with their parents, to young and mature couples relaxing in the beautiful scenery provided by the bucolic ride, to serious cycling racers out to better their time.
Rotarians and volunteers were on hand all along the course handing out Gatorade and water at six rest stops poised 10 miles apart. Albertson’s grocery supplied fresh chocolate chip cookies and bananas to keep the riders’ energy level up. And Panera hosted the first rest stop with bagels from the bakery. Riders who reached the fifth rest stop had a real treat with mini Chick-fil-A sandwiches and a quick message from one of the Expressions physical therapists.
SAG wagons were plentiful along all routes to insure that any rider in trouble wouldn’t have to travel far without aid. And the Southwest Dallas Amateur Radio Club set up a command station at the high school and positioned a radio operator at each rest stop and with every SAG truck. This is by far one of the safest bike rallies around.
The Rotary Club of Cedar Hill was blessed with many volunteers from friends and family, to community-minded citizens eager to help the club raise funds. Rotarian Anita Hall, who headed up the rest stop committee, called upon long-time friends Alton and Susan Langford of Glen Rose, Texas and Rotarian Jerry White and his wife Mary to spend two days with she and her husband Bill setting up, running and tearing down the six stops.
The CHHS Varsity Baseball Team was on-hand to heft 900 gallons of water off one truck and onto two others. And the CHHS boys’ soccer team delivered 300 gallons of the remaining water to the Food Pantry after the rally was over. Registration committee chair, Larry Horner, called upon his wife Sherie and daughter Susie. They were joined by the Hillcrest Baptist Church Single Adults, and Herb and Mary Fae Kamm of the Duncanville Rotary Club. And the club is especially appreciative of commercial photographer Scott Keith, who documented the rally with an extensive series of professional photos.
Many, many other groups and individuals helped in this massive effort that took the Rotary Club of Cedar Hill nine months to plan, coordinate and execute. The club is happy to report that they raised close to $20,000 that can now be donated to charitable groups both in the Cedar Hill community, and internationally. The club hasn’t been able to get an exact calculation of how much money will be remaining after all the expenses, leaving the dividing up of the profits for next month. Organizations that have benefited from Cedar Hill Rotary fund raising in the past include the Cedar Hill Food Pantry, Bridges Safe House, Brighter Tomorrows, the Cedar Hill Education Foundation, TROT, and the CHISD Even Start program. The club hopes to enrich many, if not all, of the same organizations this year.
The 2007 rally set the stage for New Jersey resident Sharon Luis to meet her future fiancée, Matt Harrison of Dallas. This year both Sharon and Matt, who has relocated to New Jersey, returned for the 2008 event to “reminisce” and visit with local friends Stacey and David Copeland.
Other rally participants came in all shapes and sizes, ages and attitudes. Every kind of bicycle imaginable seemed to be at the rally… even a bicycle built for four sported by one young family. And the rally participants ranged from young children enjoying the day with their parents, to young and mature couples relaxing in the beautiful scenery provided by the bucolic ride, to serious cycling racers out to better their time.
Rotarians and volunteers were on hand all along the course handing out Gatorade and water at six rest stops poised 10 miles apart. Albertson’s grocery supplied fresh chocolate chip cookies and bananas to keep the riders’ energy level up. And Panera hosted the first rest stop with bagels from the bakery. Riders who reached the fifth rest stop had a real treat with mini Chick-fil-A sandwiches and a quick message from one of the Expressions physical therapists.
SAG wagons were plentiful along all routes to insure that any rider in trouble wouldn’t have to travel far without aid. And the Southwest Dallas Amateur Radio Club set up a command station at the high school and positioned a radio operator at each rest stop and with every SAG truck. This is by far one of the safest bike rallies around.
The Rotary Club of Cedar Hill was blessed with many volunteers from friends and family, to community-minded citizens eager to help the club raise funds. Rotarian Anita Hall, who headed up the rest stop committee, called upon long-time friends Alton and Susan Langford of Glen Rose, Texas and Rotarian Jerry White and his wife Mary to spend two days with she and her husband Bill setting up, running and tearing down the six stops.
The CHHS Varsity Baseball Team was on-hand to heft 900 gallons of water off one truck and onto two others. And the CHHS boys’ soccer team delivered 300 gallons of the remaining water to the Food Pantry after the rally was over. Registration committee chair, Larry Horner, called upon his wife Sherie and daughter Susie. They were joined by the Hillcrest Baptist Church Single Adults, and Herb and Mary Fae Kamm of the Duncanville Rotary Club. And the club is especially appreciative of commercial photographer Scott Keith, who documented the rally with an extensive series of professional photos.
Many, many other groups and individuals helped in this massive effort that took the Rotary Club of Cedar Hill nine months to plan, coordinate and execute. The club is happy to report that they raised close to $20,000 that can now be donated to charitable groups both in the Cedar Hill community, and internationally. The club hasn’t been able to get an exact calculation of how much money will be remaining after all the expenses, leaving the dividing up of the profits for next month. Organizations that have benefited from Cedar Hill Rotary fund raising in the past include the Cedar Hill Food Pantry, Bridges Safe House, Brighter Tomorrows, the Cedar Hill Education Foundation, TROT, and the CHISD Even Start program. The club hopes to enrich many, if not all, of the same organizations this year.
