Saturday, April 02, 2011

The 65 Roses Tour 2011

Last year my family and I were introduced to one of the most adorable little girls I'd ever seen. She has beautiful locks of golden hair and the sweetest smile that will melt your heart. When you look at little Aven, you would not know that she has an illness. She looks like a normal, vibrant 4 year old. Aven has Cystic Fibrosis, an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food. You can read more about Cystic Fibrosis here.

We were given the pleasure of helping at the Family Fun Stop of the 65 Rose Tour last year.   "65 Roses" is what some children with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) call their disease because the words are much easier for them to pronounce. 65 Roses® is a registered trademark of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. You can click here read more on the story of Mary G Weiss and her volunteer efforts.  We baked 13 dozen cookies for the riders in the Family Fun Ride. 



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This year, we were more than thrilled to come on board as a sponsor for the Family Fun Ride!!!  Again, we had a "Betty Crocker Bake night" and this time we made 12 dozen cookies:  chocolate chip, peanut butter, snickerdoodle, and of course sugar cookies with sprinkles!  Since one of the Betty Crocker sisters was out of town, we had to make do without her.  We had lots of help, though with Shelby and Emily who loved doing the baking.
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Shelby getting ready to put cookies in the oven!
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Emily enjoyed herself!
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The girls hard at work!
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The finished product.




Saturday morning as we were getting ready to head out, the rain was pouring down.  Despite the forecast, the riders still came out in support of a great cause.  The temperatures were in the forties.  But, that didn't stop the family fun riders OR the volunteers!  We headed out and set up our Fun Stop in the rain.  Thankfully the DVD player in the van kept the children occupied as we set up the tent which included a gas heater right in the center that proved to be more cherished than the fresh cookies not only to the riders, but the volunteers as well who were braving the cold and rain for this awesome cause!
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Riders and Volunteers gathering 'round the cookies AND the heater!
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Aven all bundled up getting warm under the tent. 
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She was ready to ride.  Go Aven!!!
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Safety 1st!  Need that helmet.
The tour was a great success in spite of the weather. I'd like to say a special thanks to ALL of the volunteers which make it all possible. Amber Carson, I am so proud to call you my friend. You work hard to make this event go so smoothly and I am happy to be a small part of it. Next year we will be back and this ride will be bigger and better. To see you and your entire family come together in support of Aven and others with Cystic Fibrosis is such an inspiration and I am so happy to be able to teach my children the importance of community involvement and fund raising! We must help and support each other to be productive citizens. To see more photos, or find out more information, you can click this link.

Addition to Post:  (4/5/11)
I am happy to report that the total collected for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation thus far is $7,500!!!  
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The Family Fun Stop 2011

1 comments, add yours here:

LAC said...

Great work! We do a bit part in our area for the CF Foundation as well. Our neice, Paige has it too. Isn't it heartbreaking to see them and know their futures include transplants and medicines and ugh, it just tears me up each time.

Our Country concert and motorcycle ride is in its 4th year already. Each year we get bigger and bigger and some day CF will mean Cure Found!

Thanks for fighting the fight with us!

www.paigeceaser.com