HOW TO DONATE
To help Jeff Simons and Randy Dunlap reach their goal of raising $100,000 for Multiple Sclerosis research, visit www.biketheusforms.org/jeffandrandy.asp or mail donations to: Bike the US for MS, PO Box 10001, Blacksburg, VA 24062.
Write checks out to "Bike the US for MS" and put the names "Jeff and Randy" in the memo line. Once the check is received by the organization, the donation will be posted to the website.
Bike the US for MS Inc is a 501c3 tax-exempt organization. Every dollar raised goes directly to MS and is tax deductible via Tax ID #27-2192426.
PRE-JOURNEY MS FUNDRAISING EVENTS
7 to 9 p.m. March 27 at The Spicy Olive (and Uncorked at the Spicy Olive), 7671 Cox Lane, West Chester Twp.
5 to 9 p.m. March 28 at The Brazenhead Irish Pub, 5650 Tylersville Road, Mason.
Randy Dunlap of West Chester Twp. and Jeff Simons of Liberty Twp. plan to cross the country this spring to help defeat a disease that stops people from moving.
The two friends met more than a decade ago while on the job at Procter and Gamble. Now retirees, they’re planning to pedal their way from San Diego, Calif., to Virginia Beach, Va.
The purpose of the 3,000-mile journey is two-fold: raise awareness of Multiple Sclerosis research and garner than $100,000 in contributions to help stamp out the unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, which disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.
“We decided, if we’re going to ride across the U.S., let’s make it worthwhile and raise some funds,” said Simons, 62, regarding the Bike the US for MS trip. “Riding across the country … is huge, so we set a huge (fundraising) goal.”
MS is found on both sides of Simons’ family, so the 47-day journey will be a personal one.
His youngest brother Bill was diagnosed with MS in college at age 21. Once an avid cyclist, Bill ended up in a wheelchair within two years of his diagnosis. He died at 39 in a nursing home from complications associated with the disease.
Simons’ sister Melanie was a chief in the Navy when she was was diagnosed and was eventually medically retired. Now completely disabled, she is confined to a wheelchair. A cousin Kathy has MS, as did an uncle.
Meeting MS chapters along the way will be an important part of the journey.
“Seeing MS groups along the way is a way for us to stay connected throughout the ride and get connected nationally,” said Dunlap, 62. “We believe we need broad connections to raise the money we’ve committed to raise.”
Along with that, the two friends also want to raise awareness about MS and what it is.
“A lot of people don’t understand it, don’t know what it is,” Simons said.
The ride’s final stop is estimated to occur on May 29 or 30, when they’ll arrive at Simons’ sister’s home.
“It’ll be the culmination of a long journey where we’ve met a lot of people and it shows support for her,” Simons said. “The local association there in Virginia Beach — she’s in a support group there — they’re super excited about us coming.
“They can’t wait to meet us. That last 50 miles will be wonderful.”
Finishing their last leg will mark the beginning of a journey for a group of Bike the US for MS participants leaving June 1 from Yorktown, Va., and heading toward San Francisco, Calif.
“We’re going to pass the baton from the west to east to them to go east to west,” Simons said. “We’re excited about that. Very much so.”
It helps that both men share a common background, one they believe will help them complete the arduous journey and inspire others to contribute to the cause.
Dunlap, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, became an Army Ranger. Simons, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, became a Marine.
“The background we have, from a discipline standpoint, from a planning standpoint, helps set us up for success in that regard because we’re used to those kind of things,”Dunlap said. “Additionally, it’s the camaraderie that we have. We both have been through a lot of things, physically, mentally, emotionally.
But Simons emphasized the cross-country journey is not about him and his friend, but about taking the battle against MS across the country.
“The focus of this whole thing needs to be on the debilitating disease that MS can become for people and how it can affect not only the person who has it, but those around them, their family, their friends,” Simons said. “That’s why we ride. It’s about those people who are suffering and putting an end to it and creating a world that’s free of MS.”
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