First “Valley Preferred Tour de Hershey” Rolls Out September 15!
Contact: Doug Sherrif
Angel34 Foundation
Jennifer Sherlock
jsherlock@jennacommunications.com
First “Valley Preferred Tour de Hershey” rolls out September 15:
local cyclists ride to fight children’s cancer
Hershey, PA, September 5, 2012—An 80-mile bicycle tour through eastern Pennsylvania on September 15 to raise funds for the fight against children’s cancer was announced July 18 by its local sponsors and beneficiaries, Angel34 Foundation and the Hackerman-Patz House at Lehigh Valley Health Network.
Regional cyclists are invited to join as individuals or teams for the first annual Valley Preferred Tour de Hershey, a scenic spin from Allentown to Hershey, to help fight against pediatric cancer.
The tour starts at Macy’s-Lehigh Valley Mall and ends at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. The course has been mapped on mostly rural roads through the open country and farmlands of Lehigh, Berks, Lancaster and Lebanon Counties.
Each participating rider is being asked to raise a minimum of $150 in donations plus a $34 registration fee to help fight children’s cancer through the work of Angel34 Foundation and the Hackerman-Patz House. Along with participation in a highly organized and safety-monitored distance ride, each rider receives dinner at the finish and a package containing several keepsake premiums.
Angel34 Foundation, based in Nazareth, Pa, provides services and support for Children Battling Cancer (Financial Assistance, Pet Therapy, Camps, Medical Staffing, ICEE Program, Cancer Research, Angel Field – B&B/Retreat) education and advocacy. The Hackerman-Patz House at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest campus provides affordable accommodations and a supportive environment for loved ones with a family member being treated at Lehigh Valley Health Network.
“Everything at the Hackerman-Patz House is designed to help make this stressful time in a family’s life a little easier,” said Kimberly Thompson, supervisor of the Hackerman-Patz House. “This benefit will help support families and our mission to provide a ‘home away from home’ for guests visiting a loved one at a Lehigh Valley Health Network facility,” Thompson said. Hackerman-Patz House also offers an alternative to an expensive hotel or daily trips to and from distance. Whether someone is a patient or a family member with a loved one in the hospital. The Valley Preferred Tour de Hershey will help support our goal – to offer comfortable accommodations and a supportive environment that allows guests to focus on healing. I am thrilled that the Valley Preferred Tour de Hershey will help us continue our mission of the healing process for both patients and their families.”
Title sponsor Valley Preferred is a Lehigh Valley-based preferred provider organization, and health and wellness service provider. As the naming sponsor of the nationally-known Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown, they are familiar with the “health on wheels” benefits of cycling for sport and recreation.
“This is a tremendously positive way to raise funds and awareness for the ongoing fight against children’s cancer,” said Christina Lewis, RN, MPH, FACHE, Valley Preferred General Manager. “We are proud to have the Valley Preferred name associated with such a worthy event and are equally pleased that a significant portion of the funds raised will stay here in our community to support the work of Angel34 Foundation and the Hackerman-Patz House at Lehigh Valley Health Network.”
For complete facts on the Valley Preferred Tour de Hershey, visit www.angel34.org or call 610-533-1923.