It turns out I stumbled onto a good cause.

Those who know me know that I love cycling. Although originally an avid runner, injuries (and a group of friends who ride) turned me into an avid cyclist. My friends had organized a four-day bike ride from Pittsburgh, PA to Gaithersburg, MD called "Ride Allegheny" that I first completed in 2002. It was quite an informal event. No support, no cause–just a bunch of friends and friends of friends who were crazy enough to get dropped off by car in Pittsburgh and then ride their bikes home (four days, about 300 miles).

It became an annual affair, and after a group of us had done the ride for a few years, we decided to try and raise some money for charity through the ride. One of the riders had a connection to the charity, Operation Second Chance, which supports wounded soldiers who are recovering at Walter Reed Medical Center, so we went for it.

I think the first year we raised about $10,000. Not bad for a group of individuals with no fundraising strategy. Last year we got that figure up to $50,000! Remember, this is volunteer-driven. There is no overhead. 100% of the money we raise goes to the charity, and they are doing good work for people who really need it. We put a brief prommotional video, by the way, on YouTube. View it here.

So I am putting out an appeal to everyone who knows me, and even those of you who don’t know me so well. Please help me support this cause by making a donation to Operation Second Chance. Donations (which are tax-deductible) of ANY amount are welcome. You make them directly to OSC, which you can do online or by sending a check to Operation Second Chance to:

Debbie Sacramo
18310 Montgomery Village Ave.
Suite 740
Gaithersburg MD 20878.

Make sure you write RA8 in the note section (either online or on the check). If you put my name also, they’ll know the support originated with me, but that’s not as important.    

Thanks for listening, and to everyone who decides to pitch in, thanks for supporting.