Bring Out Yer Scrap...

If you're like me, you've got some pack-rattish tendencies that have led to a garage (or basement, or yard, or kitchen table) full of (or covered with) random stuff that you once thought might be useful, and you therefore kept. Long sessions of counselling, combined with years of experimentation and observation, has proved that this stuff in fact is not useful, because a.) you've forgotten that you have these things, and b.)they are broken anyway. 

Sad to say, bent nails do not straighten themselves if left in a coffee can in a dark corner. That old PC that made a funny noise and quick working does not repair itself. The old TV does not magically grow a new digital tuner. The old washing machine still sounds like a chainsaw during the agitate cycle.

Junk remains junk. In fact, it gets junkier. 

BUT!!!! We have a solution! What little value remains in your heaps of dusty, spider-infested stuff can benefit our great cause! This Friday, April 24, we're having an Earth Day scrap drive and cleanup at two convenient Herman Miller locations, one in Zeeland and one in Spring Lake. Bring in your pieces of scrap metal (steel, aluminum (XS cans, anyone?), copper, whatever), and the nice folks at Padnos will take it away and recycle it. Old appliances are great, even refrigerators and air conditioners - no need to worry about the freon in them. Got a dead mower or snowblower? Drain the oil and gas out of it and bring it in! 

New this year, we're also taking electronic equipment, working or not - if it's working, it'll be donated to Revive/Green Solutions, where it will be distributed to needy organizations and schools worldwide; if it ain't working, it'll be properly recycled.

We're also taking plastics (#1, #2, #5, and #6), cardboard, newspaper, office paper, and car batteries, and we'll have people there from the ride team to help unload your stuff.

The Zeeland location is Herman Miller Mainsite; the dumpster will be on the northwest side of the building. Here's yer map:

In Spring Lake, we'll be on the south side of the Hickory facility, which you get to from Taft street and. Oh, look, another map:

View Larger Map

Any questions? Get in touch with me through Mary or either of our coaches. Hope to see ya 

there with a huge pile of stuff!

TEAM RIDE REPORT, APRIL 19

Well.......I gotta confess that Nic and I were more than pleasently surprised @ the turnout for yesterday's ride! There's just something about 50 degrees and steady drizzle that might keep SOME teams home.......just not THIS one! Kudos to everyone that thumbed their noses @ Dear Michigan's fickle Weather Gods and showed up @ Steve and Katie's house!

Roll Call.....

Herb and Brenda
Tom and Mary
Linda and Scott
Steve and Katie
Brian and Heather
Chris M
Chris R
Jack
Derek
John
JD
Tom M
Doug
Dawn
Cindy
Cathy
Karen
Special Guest Jeff (Whitefish 2007)
Coaches Nic and MC

The route was a good'un....south from casa de Clark down into Allegan County and towards the bustling metropolis of Burnips. (You can get cheese curds there!) Everyone rode well, there are no accidents or mechanicals to report and once we got back. dried off and warmed up the jambalaya, taco salad and Easter candy went down s-m-o-o-t-h!

Thanks to our hosts-w-the-most Steve, Katie, Ellie and Anna Clark. Thanks to Derek for nagging and begging Coach Nicole into bringin' the jambalaya, thanks (again!) to Katie for the great dip and salad, thanks to Coach Nic for giving in to Did and whipping up that pot of jambo! Thanks to everyone that made the effort to join us for the ride!

On a somber note - 2 people and families that mean a lot to this team and JDRF in general are in need of your thoughts and prayers. Bill Andro (Rob's dad) and Rod Stephens (Asheville 2005 / Whitefish 2007 and the major reason for the Herman Miller / JDRF connection) are both at home under hospice care. Please remember them and send your best wishes their way.


Thanks again, to each and every one of you...for what you bring to this Team, for what you're doing to find a cure, for making this world a better place!

You guys rock, seriously.

Nic and MC

Almost here

See that little video window to the right? The one that says "2008 Ride Video"? Well, why watch a four minute postage stamp sized video when you can see the whole movie on the big screen? This Thursday night will be the world premiere of our Ride Team documentary. Tickets are only $5.00 and will be available at the door. Or you can get them in advance at the JDRF office. We will have DVD's for sale at the ticket table. Price is $15.00.

Now that the movie is finished we are starting to enter it film festivals. One of the first places it will be shown outside of West Michigan is in Knoxville, Tennessee at the end of this month. A new JDRF rider, Andrew Shafer, is holding a big fund raising event down there and is going to show the film. He is also going to arrange a screening at the University of Tennessee.

The excitement is building. We hope to see everyone at Celebration Cinemas North at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Ride on!

Grand Rapids Bicycle Summit on April 24th

Saw this posted at GVSU... thought some of you may be interested. It's free if you pre-register.


Date: April 24, 2009
Time: 8:00am to 4:00pm
Location: GVSU Loosemore Auditorium on Pew Campus

All citizens are encouraged to participate in this free event.

The purpose of this Summit is to raise awareness and impact legislation and government funding to increase the number of bike paths in the Greater Grand Rapids area, and to encourage people to start biking in our community.

In addition to presentations from nationally recognized speakers, attendees will participate in four break-out sessions to work on the components of the Bike Friendly Community Plan. The Bike Summit is open to the public free of charge for pre-registered participants and $10 for same day registrants.

Individuals or groups interested in participating in the Bike Summit can register on-line and see an agenda at http://www.grcity.us/. (or here directly: http://www.grbikesummit.eventbrite.com/

Questions about the Summit can be directed to Josh Duggan at fotoman311@yahoo.com and 616-295-1154 or Kevin McCurren at jkmccurren@gmail.com and 616-608-4704.

Fundraising at the Family Fun Day

Could you use more money to meet your fundraising goal? I am hosting the 2nd Annual Family Fun day as posted on GRNow.com and would like to help you raise money. Here's how it can work... Send your friends/neighbors/family to the Family Fun Day on April 18th and have them tell the registration desk that you sent them. I will then credit your ride account for the money they contribute to the Poker walk. For example, your friend buys a single poker hand at $10 and tells the registration desk that you sent them then $10 will be credited to your ride account after the event. If they buy a Family 4-pack at $30 then $30 will be credited to your account! This may be one of the easiest ways to get money in your account this year. Have your friends pre-register as the flyer explains and they can get a JDRF T-shirt.

I also have a limited number of "volunteer" opportunities during the day and will be able to contribute to your ride account for the hours worked similar to how Van Andel works. Contact me for more information. I look forward to seeing you and your friends at the Family Fun Day!

TEAM RIDE REPORT – APRIL 5, 2009

It was a windy, cool and yet surprisingly dry afternoon that greeted 8 stalwart, upstanding, and tougher’n average members of the 2009 West Michigan Ride to Cure Team this past weekend. Despite dire (and as it turned out – over-hyped and over-stated) predictions of icy rain, snow, hail, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, sunspots, floods and other calamities...it was time to ride and ride we did!

Roll call:

Heather Allegrina
Kris Couturier
Brian Bowe
Cathy Tahy-Priest
JD Stone
Derek “Did” Dykstra
Coach N2
Coach MC/Kermit the Frog

We also enjoyed vehicular and chocolate support from Chris “I couldn’t get my bike in this little car” Radford. Thanks Chris!

We rolled down the weather-beaten surface of Grand River Drive all the way to Saranac into a steady headwind but that made it all that much sweeter on the flip-flop!

Congrats to Kris for scoring the “I Came the Longest Way to Ride” Award and to everyone for scoring Hard-Core Points and achieving the always sweet Moral High Ground for riding in the face of such a gnarly weather forecast!

We can’t believe that the Ride Season is F-I-N-A-L-L-Y HERE and we're already watching the clock and the calendar looking ahead to the next one!

Speaking of which...here’s a look at the next couple weeks and everything that’s goin’ on:

Friday 4/10 – Kevin Carnes’ Bowling Fundraiser (see previous blog post below)
Saturday 4/11 – April Birthday Bash & MC's band @ the Saugatuck Brewery (Contact Nicole for details)
Thursday 4/16 – World Premiere of "More Than 100 Miles: Riding to Cure Diabetes" at Celebration Cinema North, 7:00pm. Bring everyone you know!
Saturday 4/18 – Chris Radford’s Family Fun Day Event: ***Potential fundraising opportunity for you. Contact Chris for details.
Sunday 4/19 – Training Ride # 2!!!!!

As always, keep an eye on this blog for more details about everything, and let Mike or Nicole know if you have any questions!

So...no matter what the weatherman/woman sez – Spring is here and it’s time to ride!

MC & N2

It's going to be 70º and sunny.

So who all's going to the first team training ride? The weather's going to be most excellent, as it always is on our first training ride. Always! Yes, regardless of what the so-called weather experts say, it's going to be 70º and sunny on Sunday!

Anyway, the ride is from Ada Park, roll-out time is 2 pm (get there early!), we'll do an out-and-back course so you can ride basically any distance you feel comfortable with, and we'll have cue sheets there. The course will be pretty much flat, but with a nice hilly add-on if you're so inclined.

Here's the inevitable map to the park - unfortunately the park itself doesn't show anymore, but it's there, right under the little green bicycle:

View Larger Map

See ya there!

Bowling Party on April 10th

Kevin Carnes is hosting a fundraising bowling party on Friday, April 10th at 9:00pm at Northway Lanes in Muskegon.

$25 a couple, 3 games of bowling

check in at 8:30pm

Any questions: contact Kevin at at 231 286 7394 cell or 231 767 0797 home