WMBARide Hard – Have Fun – Respect The Outdoors

Come help clean up Sprain Ridge Park!

Wednesday, August 24th6:30pm to 8pm

Sprain Ridge Park, North Parking Lot
Jackson Avenue

Yonkers, NY

Hosted by http://www.hastingsvelo.com/

The North Face, National Park Trust, American Hiking Society, Leave No Trace and local partners are joining together with your state parks to promote the importance of being active and getting outdoors! We want to encourage the local community to get outdoors and truly explore the state parks close to home. There will be guided hikes and other activities, snacks, speakers, partner demos, as well as giveaways, including the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) Challenge information, state park activity guides, and free state park passes. Come out and join the fun!

This event is October 8, 10am to 12:30pm at:

Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park
2957 Crompond Road
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598

RSVP: rsvp@exploreyourparks.com

For more info: http://www.exploreyourparks.com/

If you’re looking to help out mountain bikers in Westchester we’ve got some working days coming up for the Yorktown Trails project.

• Sat. Sept. 11, 9am to 3pm
• Sun. Sept. 12, 9am to 12pm
• Sat. Sept. 18, 9am to 12pm
• Sat. Sept. 25, 9am to 3pm
• Sun. Sept. 26, 9am to 12pm
• Sun. Oct. 10, 9am to 12pm

For the September dates we’ll be meeting at a parking lot on the west side of Stony Street slightly south of the intersection with Winding Court. The October date meeting area is at the end of Strang Boulevard near Mercy College and involves bench cutting on the mountain bike trails in Woodlands. September 25 and 26 are bridge building days with the meeting place to be announced.

All trips involve cutting brush and moving downed wood. Contact yorktowntrails@nynjtc.org to sign up that you are coming or if you have questions. It helps the leader plan the workday if you let him know you are coming.

Beginner trail builders are welcome. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Bring work gloves, loppers, snack, (lunch on a full day trip) and water. Small hand saws are a plus.

Work trip leader always shows regardless of the weather.

Work trips for groups including youth can be scheduled at mutually convenient times including during the week.

More details can be found in the Yorktown Trails Flyer.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Brenner
212-279-1066
info@famdys.org
www.fdcycletour.org

What do you do when your child has a life threatening illness yet no one has heard of it? When big bio-tech companies turn away as there is no profit to be made in helping your child? You get creative. Each fall for the past six years, a small yet highly motivated group of cyclists have toured the hills of Westchester to help a small yet highly motivating group of people afflicted with a rare genetic disorder. The event is the Tour de Foliage and it benefits the Dysautonomia Foundation, which funds research and treatment of familial dysautonomia, an exceedingly rare Jewish genetic disease that afflicts approximately 350 people worldwide. This year’s Tour de Foliage on September 12th will be the seventh time cyclists take to the scenic roads around Pace University in Pleasantville to make a real difference in the lives of the FD population.

FD is a disorder of the sensory and autonomic nervous systems, which control all the mechanical, automatic functions that keep our bodies functioning properly. Chewing and swallowing, digestion, pain and temperature sensation, balance, kidney functioning, blood pressure control and respiration are all dangerously compromised in FD.

Because the population is so small, FD families are challenged to fund treatment and research. The Dysautonomia Foundation was founded over 60 years ago just for that purpose. As a result, incredible gains have been made. Forty years ago, the Dysautonomia Center at NYU Langone Medical Center was established. Today it is comprised of a state of the art research lab, two endowed professorships and a medical team dedicated to treating and researching this rare disorder. A sister Center at Hadassah Hospital in Israel opened in 1980. Today, clinical trials are underway on a new compound that holds great promise as a potential therapy; through the Foundation’s efforts, this compound was identified, manufactured, and tested. Now, instead of dying in childhood, many patients with FD live well into their adult years.

The Tour de Foliage is one of a series of annual events the Foundation sponsors each year to raise vitally needed funds to keep the treatments and research going. Some riders are the mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles and siblings of FD patients. Some are friends. Some are cyclists who appreciate the beauty of the ride and the unmatched spirit of the day. Everyone there makes a difference and every dollar raised goes towards helping FD patients live longer and better lives. The Tour de Foliage features 25 and 50 mile routes. Breakfast and lunch are served and all riders receive a Tour t-shirt and water bottle.

The 7th Annual FD Cycle Tour de Foliage is Sunday, Sept 12, 2010 (Rain or Shine) at Pace University in Pleasantville, NY and starts at 8am. There are 25 and 50 mile routes. Routes and more information can be found at www.fdcycletour.org.