Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Reminder: Get Your Guts In Gear August Rides!!

GEAR UP AND RIDE WITH GET YOUR GUTS IN GEAR IN 2013!
Looking for an unforgettable event that supports a great cause?  Join Get Your Guts in Gear for the 2013 Rides for Crohn’s and Colitis.
Get Your Guts in Gear, Inc. (GYGIG) was founded in 2003 to promote empowerment and awareness, and to raise funds for Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and ostomy advocacy. GYGIG brings together patients, family, friends, medical professionals, and cycling enthusiasts for an unforgettable and empowering experience. More than just bicycle rides, our events are the foundation upon which GYGIG has built an inspired and empowered community that carries our mission forward 365 days of the year.  Whether you’re an avid cyclist looking for a great ride, a novice rider looking for a challenge, or you’re interested in spending the weekend as part of our support crew, we invite you to become part of this inspiring community.
Please visit www.ibdride.org to receive additional information on upcoming events or find us onFacebook to get to know us.
Two Rides, Two Life-Changing Events!
New York’s Hudson River Valley:  June 7-9, 2013
The Midwest / Wisconsin:  August 23-25, 2013
Signature 2-Day Ride:
140 miles with an option for back-to-back century rides
Join us on Friday evening and ride with us on Saturday and Sunday.  Ride 140 miles, 170 miles, or add a century loop on both days for 200 fully supported miles.
NEW: 1-Day Cycling Option:
62.5 miles with an option for a century ride
Join us on Saturday afternoon and ride with us on Sunday. You can choose 62.5 or 100 fully supported miles.
In order to participate in our century option on either day, you must average more than 15mph over varied terrain.
Don’t want to ride?  Join our volunteer support crew from Friday evening through Sunday and become an integral part of this supportive community while providing the backbone of the event.
Each of GYGIG’s fully supported Rides provides two overnight camps with indoor accommodations where participants stop to relax, build lifelong friendships, and recharge with catered meals and hot showers.  GYGIG provides route support, including fully-stocked rest stops, sweep vehicles, and baggage transport.
Get Your Guts in Gear’s riders and enthusiastic volunteer crew participate – and keep coming back – because they find physical strength and emotional resolve they never knew they had, and are awarded with an accomplishment they can share with their new friends long after the Ride is over.  These cycling events offer the IBD and ostomy communities a positive, life-altering experience in their journey.  Participants also draw support from fellow riders, many of whom are touched in some way by inflammatory bowel disease or who have had ostomy surgery.
For the full 2- Day Ride, rider registration is $85, with a fundraising minimum of $1,250 per event.
For the 1-Day cycling option, rider registration is $65, with a fundraising minimum of $650 per event.
For crew members, registration is $85, and fundraising is optional, but supported and encouraged.
Fundraising supports Get Your Guts in Gear, Inc. as well as the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, the United Ostomy Associations of America, and Advocacy for Patients with Chronic Illness, Inc.— organizations committed to supporting patients, conducting research for inflammatory bowel disease, and raising awareness.
For more information, please call GYGIG at (866) 944-6848 or email us at info@ibdride.org.  Riders and crew 18 and over may register online.  For information concerning riders and crew ages 12-17, call to obtain registration forms.  For more information and answers to FAQs, please visit www.IBDride.org.
Come find out why it’s more than a ride!

Friday, August 9, 2013

Gloria Steinem Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom



Congratulations to Gloria Steinem and the other recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom! Gloria Steinem, in addition to being a prominent writer and civil rights activist, has long been a supporter of Advocacy for Patients. She also was a close personal friend to our Founder, Jennifer Jaff. Her tireless work for women’s equality and the advancement of civil rights for all makes this recognition well-deserved. Congratulations Gloria!