Gerry "Chief" Frierdich
takes in the festivities at The Gerry Frierdich Road
to Recovery Ride
on June 1, 2008, in Belleville, Ill. Gerry plans on riding
a hand-crank cycle at the 2010 event.
(Photo by Zia Nizami/Belleville-News-Democrat)
CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO SEE A GALLERY OF PHOTOS FROM THE
2008 EVENT!
About Gerry
On August 19, 2007, Gerry “Chief” Frierdich was struck
from behind by a pick-up truck while riding his bicycle to meet
friends for a golf game. Gerry woke up five weeks later a quadriplegic.
Although he has made significant progress over time, each day
has been a challenge for him, both physically and emotionally.
Ongoing physical therapy is critical to Gerry’s day-to-day
life and, since Gerry is unable to work or care for himself,
he is forced to rely on family and friends for help. No one knows
what lies ahead for him, but Gerry remains motivated to achieve
the goals he has set for himself.
As you can imagine, a tremendous financial burden has been
placed on Gerry and his family. His day-to-day basic needs
are very
costly and not covered by insurance. The funds raised during
our event for Gerry will be placed directly into his trust
fund and will enable him to have these necessities and the
care he
requires for months to come without having to worry.
What We’re Doing For Gerry and How YOU Can Help!
Friends of Gerry and the Belleville
Area Bicycling and Eating Society-St. Louis Cycling Club have
teamed up for The Gerry Frierdich Road to Recovery Benefit
Bicycle Ride & Walk. Our event for
Gerry takes place on Sunday, June 6, at Central Junior
High School, 1801 Central School Road, in Belleville, Illinois.
(Google
Map)
This year, Gerry has a very special
goal to achieve…to “lead
the charge” of fellow bicyclists and walkers
at the start of the event. As his No. 1 fans, we are
determined to make this
happen for him and, with your support and participation,
Gerry will do it!!
At 9:00 a.m., Gerry will have something very special
to show everyone thanks to our friends at Bachetta
Bicycles Co.,
Inc. in St. Petersburg, Florida, and to everyone
who purchased
Bacchetta
recumbent raffle tickets. Through the sale of Bacchetta
recumbent bike raffle tickets for 18-months, we were
able to raise
enough money for Gerry to purchase an Invacare hand
cycle--a bike
conducive to his injuries. Gerry is so excited and
continues working hard
every day because he wants you to see what your kindness
and his hard work can achieve together!
For our participants this year, our event will include
a separate 2-mile route for walkers through beautiful
Reunion Subdivision
across the street from Central Junior High School.
Our bicyclists
can choose from four mileage routes - 6, 15, 30
and 50 miles, and we will be providing police assistance
from
8:00 a.m.
to 1:00 p.m. at the intersection of Hwy. 159 and
Ross Lane.
Helmets are required for all
participants on our bicycle ride! If you or a family member doesn’t
have a helmet, Helmets First with Dr. Joe Cangas will be on-hand
from 8:15 a.m. to 10:30
a.m. to properly fit participants with new helmets.
Helmets First will donate helmets to the first 50 children who
need them! The cost: $8.00/child helmet and $20.00/adult helmet.
A small investment
for so much peace of mind! Read
the press release for our event.
A Thank You To Our Community
Since the 2007 accident, Gerry and his family
have received so much support from our community.
This
year, Gerry
wants to give
back. As a way to say thank you, Gerry has
organized a canned food drive for the Belleville Community
Interfaith Food Pantry.
All participants are asked to bring a canned
food item for a chance to win one of several
baskets
being raffled
in the “Gerry
Gives Back” basket raffles. These baskets contain gift
certificates and offers to area and national businesses and restaurants.
Of course, raffle tickets for these baskets will be sold and
all proceeds will be given to the Belleville YMCA. We are also
accepting donations of gift cards to help fill these baskets!
If you are able to donate a gift card or know of a business who
could help us out, please contact Sandy at 4gores@charter.net or call Sandy at (618) 277-5129.
We would really like to thank the following Belleville
and Fairview Heights businesses who believed in us and our endeavor
to help Gerry give back. We will be raffling two baskets (each
worth over $500 in gift cards, special offers and merchandise).
This raffle is a win-win for everybody with the proceeds raised
going to the Belleville YMCA.
Our sincerest appreciation to the following businesses for helping
make "Gerry Gives Back" a reality: Ace Hardware (West
Main) // Allison's Common Scents // Andria's Steak House //
Ashland Oil (Valvoline Oil Change) // Bicycle World // Bike Surgeon
//
Crafty
Eye //
Dave's Brewing // Dill's Florist // Dintelmann's Nursery & Garden
Center // Elmwood Golf Course // Margarita's Restaurant // Pie
Pantry // Marvin's Camera // Midwest Recumbents // Sandy's Back
Porch // Seven Restaurant & Lounge // White Cottage // The
Wine Tap. Additionally, we would like to thank Family & Friends
of Gerry who donated gift cards, along with movies and summer
fun
items. Thank you all very, very much!
Some Extra Information
For those who need a little extra kick
in the morning, a light breakfast of
juice, assorted
fruit and
donuts for all
participants
will be on-hand thanks to our special
friends at McDonald’s
East Belleville, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, and Farmers Market.
For those hungry after their walk or bicycle ride, starting at
10:30 a.m., we will have for purchase grilled hotdogs and brats,
along with baked goodies to ease your sweet tooth.
The first 300 bicyclists and walkers will receive
a special T-shirt designed by Gerry, which is shown at left!
Don’t leave the kids at
home! We will have plenty for them to do, too! Face painting,
gunny sack races and balloons to name
a few. Starting at 11:00 a.m., Knight
for Hire, Karl Kindt III, will join us in full shining armor
telling funny stories to the
kids about chivalry. See
the Knight for Hire flier.
A great time will be had by kids
of all ages!
Can’t Make Our Event? We
can sure use your help!
Donation Information…
If you aren’t able to attend
our event, please consider showing
your support for Gerry by making
a donation. No amount is too small!
For more information, please see
the right-hand column or send your
request for information by email
to 4gores@charter.net.
Or, please consider becoming
an Event Sponsor….
For more information on becoming
an Event Sponsor, please
email your request to 4gores@charter.net.
We’ll be happy to send you
the information. Sponsorship levels
begin at $100 with your name on
a route mile marker. This is a
fun way to show you care! If you
would like to speak to someone,
please contact one of the following:
Steve & Jackie Hausmann at
618-939-5864; Jean Bauder at 618-624-4910;
or Carol Lawrence at 618-394-0445.
A Heartfelt Thank You To Our Sponsors To Date…
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the following
businesses and organizations who have already provided us
much needed support for our event:
