Dear friends and family,
It's here again – the 3rd Annual Flutie Foundation Ride for Autism Awareness – and I need your support! Please help me reach my goal of raising $1,500, which is twice my previous record ...but now there's two of us riding this year, so twice the riders, twice the goal, right?!?
That's right! I'm planning on doing the ride with my son Julian on the tandem! He's done rides of 11 and 12 miles with me recently, and we've got a couple of months to get ready for the 30-mile Flutie Foundation Ride (Sept. 30th this year). It won't be a fast ride, but I think that there's a good chance that he'll do the full 30 miles with me, given a few breaks to run around.
As you may know, this is more than a fun ride for us... This is personal. Julian was diagnosed with autism when he was 3. He's 9 now and has come a long way. There were the extremely tough times two and three years ago when sleepless nights and self-injury were a regular occurrence, but thankfully those days are behind us... hopefully forever.
With all he's been through, he's a loving boy who likes to cuddle. He's amazingly kind to his little sister. He likes to play with dominos, 3-D puzzles, Legos, and other toys. He still struggles with day-to-day communication, which is limited to expressions like "I want pizza" or "Don't like," but continues to make great progress.
As we've faced these challenges, we've been blessed with an extensive support network... including friends and family, but also a vast array of non-profit and governmental supports for special needs children. Julian attends a special school with a 1-to-1 ratio of therapists / teachers to students. He get's a good 12 hours of at-home therapy as well, along with many other supports and activities.
This bike ride is a small way for me and my family to give back. That's why I'm asking you to help sponsor me and Julian with a donation of $25, $50, $100, or $200... whatever works for you. Your gift, whatever amount, is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Brian, Julian, and family
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8/28 update - Julian and I have logged over 100 miles in the last 5 weeks, including several rides in the 11 to 18 mile range – on the Minuteman Greenway, on the "country" roads between Lincoln and Weston (west of Boston), in the strong winds and scorching heat of the Outer Banks, under the moonlight of a New Jersey campground (only 3 miles, but still fun at night), and more. He's really getting into it... insisting on rides at all hours. We only average about 11-12 mph and tend to stop at every playground, but I'm confident he'll do the 30-mile!
9/3 update - Julian and I logged another 45 miles over the Labor Day weekend... 20 miles on Saturday and a new record 25 miles today (Monday)! He's ready!
9/19 update - We've broken our fundraising record and are now at $1,680... Thanks everyone who made this possible! Maybe we can hit $2,000? On another note, Julian and I might be doing the Hub on Wheels ride this weekend as a warm-up for the Flutie ride (same distance, 30 miles, but flat vs. the hilly Flutie ride).
9/24 update - Julian and I are ready as ever for the Flutie Foundation ride this weekend! We just did a 30+ mile ride at Boston's annual Hub on Wheels ride and Julian did great! The Flutie ride is the same distance, but with a lot more hills to climb. Hoping for good weather now... :)
9/30 update - We did it!!! Thanks again to everyone who supported our ride... It was a rainy / drizzly day, but the leaves were beautiful, we had great company, and Julian did fantastic! Check out the ride pics on my FB page.