The Tour for Children benefiting local nonprofit Transplants for Children invites you to join their ride on September 8, 2012 starting at El Chaparral Mexican Restaurant – Bandera Road, Helotes, TX
We were lucky enough to be granted an interview with Staci Almager, Executive Director at Transplants for Children to ask some questions about their upcoming ride.
Why join this year’s Tour for Children Bicycle Race and Ride?
We encourage everyone to participate in the 2012 Tour for Children with emphasis on ‘everyone’ for several reasons:
• The ride offers four routes so no matter what your skill level or age you can participate. The routes are 10 miles (Family Friendly Ride), 31 Miles (Intermediate Hill Country Ride), 45 Miles (Challenging Hill Country Ride) and 62 Miles (Performance Hill Country Ride).
• The purpose of the rides is to promote health and wellness in the community. The event is endorsed by the Mayor’s Fitness Council and we are excited to offer the community and event for anyone can participate and set goals for themselves and participate as a family.
• The event benefits local nonprofit Transplants for Children. The event was created because most transplant children lose their transplanted organs because of medication noncompliance and lack of health and wellness after the transplant. We want to promote activities that highlight opportunities for transplant children and their families to provide good alternatives for families at a little or no cost. Families can ride their bikes on trails and at the local parks for exercise and recreation and the long term benefit is that they stay healthy longer.
How long has the event been around?
The Tour for Children is celebrating the 2nd year this year. Last year was our first year and we had over 500 cyclists participate.
What was the motivation behind starting the tour and who benefits from it? How have they been able to utilize the funds in the past?
The motivation behind the tour came from three men and a cocktail napkin. Eliot Garza, local businessman is an avid cyclist and he met with two friends who also are avid cyclists. Gabe Garcia, owner of El Chaparral and Ruben Santascoy, owner of Rideaway Bicycles all sat down because they wanted to create a ride in the Texas Hill Country. As avid cyclists, they wanted to promote local cycling in the community and offer the community a ride with multiple distances. Gabe has a vested interest in staying healthy and fit. He’s a former professional soccer player and a graduate of Central Catholic High School. He grew up in San Antonio and his family has owned the El Chaparral family of restaurants for the past 40 years. The Tour for Children starts and ends at the historic El Chaparral in Helotes. Eliot met Gabe through business relationships and became a cyclist a few years ago. His concern was for safety of cyclists and also an opportunity for the community to get involved in the SA2020. Eliot’s desire was to create an event that would grow in attendance and offer the community ways to follow the goals of the SA2020, reduce obesity and increase fitness for families. Ruben was the driving force behind Eliot’s cycling gear as he owns three local bike shops. Rubens interest in the ride was to also promote cycling in the community for children. As a father of two small children, he wants to increase the love of cycling for young children. Riding a bike does not have to be a children’s activity, according to Ruben. The love of cycling doesn’t have to end in childhood…it can transcend into a way to keep fit and healthy for a lifetime.
Transplants for Children benefits from all funds raised by the Tour for Children. The funds are given to the organization to support the mission of the nonprofit, “to assist young organ and tissue transplant recipients and their families in effectively coping with the emotional, financial and social challenges, which arise before, during and after transplantation”. Transplants for Children (TFC) has been a local nonprofit for 27 years and has served over 1,400 transplant children. TFC children are waiting for or have received a bone marrow, heart, lung, liver or lung transplants.
Do you have a map of the start facility showing registration point, parking, all toilets, water/snacks, start line?
Logistically, can you give us an idea how many volunteers, finances, and planning it takes to put on this event?
Over 400 volunteers dedicate their time to host the event.
What was the most rewarding experience throughout the years hosting this event?
When Toyota of Boerne became the title sponsor of the event The reason is that their entire staff dedicated themselves to the event and volunteer in every single way possible. They volunteer, their families and their staff also makes financial contributions to the fundraising of the event. I have never worked with a group of people who were more dedicated to a cause in my life. We host a kickoff party for the Tour called the Celebration of Life Mixer. The purpose of the mixer is to welcome all participants of the Tour to a cocktail reception where El Chaparral donates a dinner, the event is free of charge and the community can come and participate in the love of cycling and to promote community service and giving. Last year, we hosted a pledge auction to raise funds for TFC. Our goal was $10,000. When the donations hit $9,500 and the crowd had given as much as they could…the Toyota of Boerne staff started donating personally so we could reach our goal. It was so touching to see those who hosted the event for us give back from their personal resources.
What is the average number of participants per year? How many riders do you assist during the average race?
Last year, we had over 500 registered cyclists. We have 12 Toyota SAG cars and 5 cycle shop support vans. We have 20 EMT medical riders on the routes and 6 hosted rest stops. Last year, we only had two people in the entire day that needed support. One was medical and the other was mechanical. We expect over 1,000 cyclists this year. We are fully prepared with medical and mechanical support when needed!
What was the most unforgettable experience or worst accident you had in this event? (we prefer the rewarding/unforgettable experience!)
The most rewarding experience was to watch the sunrise at El Chaparral…have the National Anthem play and watch the police department provide support for the start of the rides….as the Grackles’ cyclists started their ride toward Grey Forest with the Hill Country in the background…it was one of the most stunning sights I have ever seen in my life. The cyclists (500 strong) all left for their rides by order of distance…with the families including babies at the end….it was so motivating to know that something we did as a committee offered families and cyclists an opportunity to get out, get active..and save lives.
What can folks do to support you and your mission?
1. Become an organ donor.
2. Participate in the fundraising that we do as an agency including the Tour for Children
3. Education of the transplant process. It’s critical for people to know that a transplant only saves a child’s life. The hard part is after the transplant. Costs for healthcare and medication are beyond the means of most families…and the transplanted organ only survives a short amount of time. Most children who receive a transplant as a child will need another one when they reach young adulthood and after their insurance changes from their parents to their own. It becomes a challenge that most people could not imagine….and as an agency, we support the children and their families in the struggles that they face and those that they must learn to overcome.
What is your role in this race and the success of it?
My role is to lead the planning committee for the Celebration of Life Mixer and the Tour for Children. I could never, ever do this alone. We have over 20 business professionals who dedicate their time to the event and nothing could occur without them. This year was more challenging for me because my 20 year old daughter’s transplanted kidney failed and she returned to the National Cadaver Waiting List for a donor kidney as well as returned to 3 day a week dialysis. The committee rallied and effectively and efficiently planned the events shoulder to shoulder with me so no balls were dropped…and rides could go on event with personal turmoil for me.
Do you ride and if yes, what kind of bicycle do you ride and what is your favorite route in your area?
Which are your top 3 favorite MUST DO rides in Texas (besides your own)?
I ride with my kids…and I have a Giant. My husband is the one who does the competitive rides that take more effort because my kids are 5 and 10 years old! We live along the Tour for Children routes and our very favorite rides as a family are though Grey Forest. The beauty of the Grey Forest community is spectacular and no matter who hot it is during the day….the boughs of the trees keep you cool. According to my husband, the “MUST” rides are:
• Tour de Gruene
• Hotter than Hell
• LBJ100
If you had to come up with a David Letterman style top 10 about the race, what would it read like?
10. El Chaparral makes the BEST Pre and Post ride margaritas…
9. The Tour for Children allows the general public an opportunity to see politicians and CEO’s in cycling shorts
8. You are riding for a terminally ill child….what is more empowering than that going up those Hill Country hills?
7. The SPURS Coyote will be at the Tour on a Unicycle…
6. The Tour for Children jersey is so cool….and you will leave with one because people will never believe you really participated otherwise…
5. We have Toyota Tundra’s as our SAG vehicles…so you can lie down in the back with your bike so your friends won’t see you…
4. The Tour for Children’s Themed Rest Stops have live music food and “very happy clowns”…what other ride will give you nightmares of Steven King’s movie, “IT” the night after the ride?
3. When you miss the sign for the 45 mile ride…and realize you are on the 62 mile
ride….you are really on your own… good luck.
2. Don’t worry…..ALL of the children will finish before you…their ride is much shorter. Don’t let it be an ego killer…
1. You can sign up to be an Organ Donor BEFORE the ride…you don’t have to experience any regrets when the out of control car is swerving toward you….
Additional stuff you would like the folks to know about this year’s ride?
• The Tour for Children has two elements:
Celebration of Life Mixer – Wednesday, August 22 at Toyota of Boerne. This part of the event is a huge free party. Free food, wine, beer, desserts, loads of information of other community rides including Tour de Gruene and the LBJ 100. There is a live band, Silent Auction, Live Auction and over a thousand community members who come support the event. (flier attached).
The Tour for Children- September 8th at El Chaparral in Helotes, TX. You do not have to determine the ride distance until the day of the ride…we have maps that will be available for cyclists with the number of Kendall County Sherriff Al Auxier who is the dispatcher for the ride. There is a buffet and drinks at El Chaparral immediately following the rides for all cyclists and their families. A large Athlete Village, Shower Trailers and live entertainment will greet riders at the completion of the rides…we invite everyone out to ride, volunteer and spread the word of this very special event. All information can be found at www.tourforchildren.org
Transplants for Children Pre-Party Fundraiser
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qON3UD36zME]
2011 Tour for Children – Transplants for Children
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeZETPn14BI]
Thanks Staci for this quick interview and we hope to catch everyone at the ride!
Click here to view the event details of the Tour for Children 2012