Many of you on this forum have supported me in a cycling event called the Tour de Pink, which raised funds for breast cancer outreach, education, awareness, and research.
Today I wrote a heartfelt farewell to this event, which has come to seem like a friend. I thought some of you might enjoy reading it:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/elegy-tou...eorge-webb

I have decided that this weekend, I will be a late addition to the Tour de Cure, which raises funds for diabetes research, education and advocacy.

For this event, my fundraising target is quite modest, and if you feel motivated to be a modest supporter of it, I would be grateful. A suggested donation is $25, in honor of the 25th anniversary of this ride, but any amount is appreciated. The link is here:
http://main.diabetes.org/goto/georgewebb

And regardless of whether you can support me this time, I remain forever grateful to everyone who has supported me in the past.

A thousand thanks,

George Webb

THANK YOU to those who supported me in the Tour de Cure bike ride two weeks ago. It was a terrific ride. I did the 59-mile route (which is a great route, by the way) with one of my teammates, and two others did the 100-mile route. Together we raised over $3000 for diabetes research, education and advocacy. You can see my final status here:
http://main.diabetes.org/goto/georgewebb

Below is an official summary from the American Diabetes Association about the impact of the Tour de Cure.

A thousand thanks!

Quote:Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2016
From: Kirk Savarese
Subject: Regarding your Tour de Cure donation
To: George Webb

Happy Friday!

Let me first start off by explaining the "Volunteer" banner above. Too often notes of thanks are sent to donors littered with hints to "give more". While the intent of doing so isn't to minimize the gratitude we're trying to express, I can't help but feel that's exactly what it does. So why the "Volunteer" banner? That's actually the only banner I have available that doesn't have pre-installed "DONATE" buttons.

This email is for one thing, and one thing only. I want you to know that regardless of the amount, every dollar you gave to the American Diabetes Association in 2016 went a long way in curing this terrible disease. Your support might have gone to a scholarship for a child living with Type 1 diabetes to go to summer camp that teaches them invaluable skills to manage blood sugar. Or, toward screening services that helped over 7,000 Houstonians without access to specialized medical professionals. It might have even been part of the millions of dollars in research grants given to Houston's best and brightest researchers who are endlessly dedicated to stopping diabetes.

It's an exciting time at the Association, our leaders at the ADA National Office in Virginia have made a great effort to better educate local offices on advancements in the field of diabetes. Advancements that you helped to create. I've been given the privilege to come to work every morning and see a new step we've taken to making the lives of everyone who lives with this disease better. I assure you that privilege is not one we take lightly.

I'll close this out before I start rambling. We may have never had the pleasure of being in each other's company, our relationship might only be the product of a common acquaintance. Yet for whatever reason, you made the decision to take a portion of your hard-earned money and give it to us expecting nothing in return, but also trusting us enough to be stewards worthy of such a gift. I hope this email expresses that everyone in the Houston office of the American Diabetes Association appreciates your support, and will do everything in our power to prove that you made the right decision. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to give us a call or send us an email.

Kirk Savarese
Region Director, Online Marketing and Outreach
American Diabetes Association
7670 Woodway Dr. Suite 230
Houston, Texas 77063