This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
07/06/2021 02:00 PMRain or shine, this coming Sunday, July 11 residents from across the shoreline will be mounting up on their bicycles, pedaling for a good cause as the SARAH Foundation brings back its Summer Breeze Ride for Autism, moving the event to Guilford for the first time while greatly expanding its scope as SARAH supporters gather for in-person events for the first time since 2019.
Adding a brand new route for kids along with a full barbeque and sponsorships with local businesses to gift riders with ice cream, donuts, beer, and pizza, the plan is for the event to be a re-launch party for fundraising after a long year bereft of those opportunities, according to SARAH Foundation Community Relations Coordinator Kim Vigliotti.
“We figured this is a nice way to bring the community together after a year of canceled events,” she said. “We’re so excited to finally be able to get out there again. These fundraisers are so vital for us.”
The SARAH Foundation serves as the fundraising arm of an umbrella of agencies all focused on supporting disabled people along the shoreline, providing everything from independent living to employment services to school interventions. Founded in Guilford in 1957, the agencies run full residential houses in several shoreline towns and work with 1,700 local individuals with intellectual and other disabilities annually, according to its website.
All proceeds go directly to fund these programs, according to Vigliotti.
With only extremely limited virtual events for more than a year, SARAH depended on an annual appeal and grants to continue its services through the pandemic, including continued residential support at houses in Guilford and other shoreline towns. Now, though, the plan is not only to return but to expand fundraisers like the Summer Breeze Ride, Vigliotti said.
This includes a new ride for children and a partnership with the Guilford branch of Unified Sports, a program run by the Special Olympics that offers programs and sporting competitions for disabled kids across the country, which includes giving local Unified Sports athletes the chance to take the ride.
“It’s a nice way to get more kids involved in what SARAH is all about,” Vigliotti said.
Vigliotti also said an outpouring of support from local businesses has allowed SARAH to expand unofficial gatherings that traditionally took place before and after the race, with Cohen’s Bagels and Dunkin’ sponsoring a pre-ride breakfast and ice cream from Sully’s Good Humor, beer from DuVig Brewing Company, and hot dogs and hamburgers from the Knights of Columbus part of an after-race barbeque.
The shorter, three-mile kids ride for kids took a good deal of planning, Vigliotti said, working with the Guilford Police Department to find a safe and viable route, eventually settling on a relaxed cruise out towards Jacobs Beach. SARAH also hired a police officer to direct traffic at one intersection during the ride just to ensure everything went smoothly, she said.
Adult rides can go as long as 62 miles and cross multiple towns along the shoreline, which offers some beautiful routes and views, Vigliotti said.
Without 70 people registered for the ride, Vigliotti said SARAH was “happy” with how many people were interested in the event. With many more expected to register on the day of—there is no pre-registration requirement—she said the community appears ready, willing, and able to put feet on pedals and come together and support SARAH’s mission.
“Virtual events...just don’t feel the same,” Vigliotti said.
For more information or to register, visit sarahfoundation.org/events.