KEPPELER: Riding for a cause

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Jill Keppeler

August 16, 2012

KEPPELER: Riding for a cause

By Jill Keppeler The Tonawanda News The Tonawanda News Thu Aug 16, 2012, 01:25 PM EDT

“One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.” — John F. Kennedy

I try to trot this quote out now and again, especially when I get a little sick of the negativity that sometimes seems to   hang in the air around here. (Sound-Off, I’m looking at you.) And it’s true. One person can make a difference. And everyone   should try.

And some people do.

Melissa Frawley, a City of Tonawanda native and former organizer of the Community Fair, will be bicycling 30 miles from Williamsville   to Wilson on Aug. 25 — her 41st birthday — to raise money for the Johnson family, whose Wilson home was destroyed in an explosion   July 24. Sarah Johnson, 14, was killed in the blast, and four other family members were injured.

Frawley’s personal goal is to collect at least 30 pledges at $30 each, with a total goal of raising $900 for the family. In   addition to pledges, she is also seeking people to ride with her on her birthday trek and collect their own pledges.

“I know I’m not going to make a million bucks,” she said. “But I figure any amount can help. I have a 14-year-old daughter   ... and their daughter sounds so much like my daughter; it really breaks my heart. They still have a long road ahead of them.

“We all have the opportunity to do something to help others. This is a way I can.”

The ride will begin at the corner of Transit and Roll roads in Williamsville and end on Washington Street in Wilson. The path   will include a stop on Chestnut Road in Wilson, where riders will observe a moment of silence and release yellow balloons   in memory of Sarah Johnson.

There is a $20 registration fee, which covers the cost of a T-shirt that riders will be asked to wear for the ride. The shirts   have been produced by the First Baptist Church in Wilson, where they are being sold to support the Johnson family.

Each participating rider is asked to collect pledges, all of which will go to the Johnson Family Fund (as will the registration   fee). Riders will also be required to complete a registration/waiver form, must wear a helmet, should carry a water bottle   and spare tire tube on the ride and are responsible for getting their bikes to the start point and picked up from the end   point in Wilson. They are also encouraged to have a support driver to be available to assist them if needed along the ride.

Those interested in riding in or pledging can contact Frawley on Facebook, via email at melissafrawley222@msn.com or via phone   at 444-4814. Registration deadline for riders is Friday.

The website for the event is www.facebook.com/#!/events/331456706941920.

Volunteers are also sought to assist along the route, including at the start point, at rest stops along the way and at the   end of the route. Businesses are needed to donate jug water, Gatorade, apples, bagels and peanut butter, hot dogs and rolls,   watermelon and chips for riders.

Frawley is making a difference.

You can, too.

Jill Keppeler is a writer for the Tonawanda News. She can be reached at jill.keppeler@tonawanda-news.com.

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