Journals

2010 Annual Report

In this edition of the Illini 4000 Newsletter, you will find our 2010 Annual Report, summarizing our financial inflows and outflows throughout the past year. If you haven't heard yet, we had an incredible year, donating $110,000 to our beneficiaries. You will also find a Portrait of Todd Dufault, a man with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who we met at the Rochester Hope Lodge near the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Finally, you can find a list of our 2011 riders and a summary of our Fall 24 Hours of Cycling Event and other special events in the pipeline for this year.2010 Annual Report

Annual Financial Summary

The Illini 4000 made many strides forward this year, with the fiscal front being no exception. First and foremost, the organization was able to greatly increase the amount of donations taken in. In FY 2008(11/1/2008-10/31/2009), the Illini 4000 took in $66,159.00 in donations, whereas in FY 2009 (11/1/2009-10/31/2010), it took in $118,526.13 in donations (a 94% increase). In addition to being able to increase its revenue, the organization also increased its efficiency. In FY 2008, the organization paid out in grants 90.69% of the donations it took in. In FY 2009, the organization improved that number to 92.81%.This past fiscal year, the Illini 4000 donated a total of $100,000 to the American Cancer Society (ACS). In April of this year, the Illini 4000 made an early $20,000 donation to ACS, earmarked for patient services, and the Coleman Foundation matched 50% of this donation. On October 31, 2010 the Illini 4000 donated $80,000 to ACS, earmarked for cancer research, and donated $10,000 to Camp Kesem.Overall, the Illini 4000 enjoyed rich financial success this year, and plans to improve upon it even more in FY 2010.- Kyle LindsaySenior Treasurer2010 Bike America Team MemberFY 2009 Financial Statements

J.T. O'Hara Memorial Golf Outing Recap

Woodbine Golf Course in Homer Glen, Illinois was home to the first ever J.T. O’Hara Memorial Golf Outing on October 16, 2010. The outing, which remembered J. Thomas O’Hara—late uncle of 2010 rider Eamon O’Hara, benefitted the Illini 4000. Friends and family planned the event. Special thanks to outing coordinator, Terry Hebbel, long time friend of Tom O’Hara. Thirty-three golfers participated with at least 15 spectators cheering on their favorite competitor. Prizes were awarded and raffles of sports memorabilia, golf gear, and gift cards were held. Although windy, the weather was great for mid October and a good time was had by all.Even non-golfers enjoyed the afternoon. “It was wonderful to be there and see so many friends and family remembering Tom and supporting the fight against cancer,” reported Patti O’Hara. Between the raffles, the generous donations from many friends, and the sponsorship of all 18 holes, the outing collected over $3,000 for the Illini 4000.“This is just our first year. Next year we hope to have 18 foursomes golf.” –Terry HebbelImage from the event may be found in the gallery.

Next Time

I promised myself that I would post on my blog once the trip was over after failing to do so for the previous year's ride, but I've been apprehensive until now. Not only is it impossible to summarize the trip in words, but also having to follow Max's last post which has been listed first on our web site since the trip ended makes it even harder. Max's post, along with the few other ending posts by other riders, were all very touching with powerful content. They are all tough acts to follow, but I did make a promise.Months after the ride is over, it just feels like a dream. The fact that we accomplished something so great and substantial can't be true, it can't be reality. But of course we have all of our memories still, of the best days, the worst days, the heat in Washington, the freezing cold of Yellowstone, the empty roads of South Dakota, and the traffic of New York City. Such contrasts that we experienced will stay with us forever.Even still, the greatest parts of the trip for me had nothing to do with weather or geography. It was all of the times that I saw a rider break down, mentally on the brink of destruction, worn out from extreme physical exhaustion. You don't have the choice to stop going, you must continue and once you do something changes within you. At some point I stopped believing that there are things out there that are impossible. Last night someone asked me why I thought we haven't found a cure for cancer yet, and to be honest I'll probably never know why, but I know that just means we need to work even harder. One day we will cure cancer, but it's going to take a lot of people doing everything they can.Within a few weeks after our arrival in San Francisco the Illini 4000 kicked back in to action getting ready for an even more successful year ahead of us. The new board of directors has already put in countless hours of work to be an even better organization than before. I am very proud of the steps we have taken to improve how we work and to ensure our own success for years to come. We have many challenges to overcome being a completely student run organization, but its worth every minute of it. As our fiscal year ends tomorrow, we are prepared to break all Illini 4000 fundraising records, with our highest efficiency rate yet. And numerical figures are only one indicator of our success over the last year. Our portraits project has shown incredible growth and we are getting ready to do some great things with it over the next year. And one of our greatest accomplishments is one that we won't see the benefits directly. Our goal has always been to move people to help in the fight against cancer, something we can't measure but will make all the difference in the end. It's going to take a lot of people doing everything they can.With that said, we have our next team picked already and getting ready for the experience of a lifetime. It looks to be our largest team yet, all very dedicated and motivated individuals ready for a challenge. I feel old when I see them, and when I think of the time I was in their shoes two years ago.So in some ways this blog post is about the end, but in even more ways its just the beginning.

The 2011 Bike America Team!

After several weeks of conducting interviews, the Illini 4000 Board of Directors is excited to welcome a new group of riders to the organization. This summer we will send the fifth Illini 4000 Bike America team on a cross-country bike trip from New York City to San Francisco to raise funds for and spread awareness about cancer. The 2011 team is made up of a diverse group of 29 individuals who have all shown dedication toward the fight against cancer.Planning for the school year and this summer is well underway. We had our first official team meeting on Monday of this week. After a round of introductions we gave an overview of the organization and the schedule for the school year.Below, you’ll find a profile of the 2011 Bike America Team. Stay tuned for updated rider profile pages!

  • Gedion Amesias - Actuarial Science - Chicago, IL
  • Greg Bopp - Statistics - Bloomingdale, IL
  • Emmanuel Camacho - Media and Cinema Studies - Chicago, IL
  • Gabrielle Fairbairn - Human Development and Family Studies - Minooka, IL
  • Josh Doppelt - Molecular and Cellular Biology/Psychology - Highland Park, IL
  • Cristian Garcia - Undeclared - Cicero, IL
  • Manwen Guo - Psychology - Beijing, China
  • Anthony Ho - Engineering Physics - Hong Kong, China
  • Julie Kim - Policy, International Trade and Development - Palatine, IL
  • Katherine Lindsay - Spanish and ESES - Glenview, IL
  • Kelsey Lyles - Global Studies - Elk Grove Village, IL
  • Sean Madison - Urban and Regional Planning - Mundelein, IL
  • Maggie Marek - Advertising - Downers Grove, IL
  • Marc Maybaum - Advertising - Palos Park, IL
  • Divya Nagpal - Community Health - Naperville, IL
  • Dory Quinlan - Community Health - Mahomet, IL
  • Louis Ramirez - Undeclared - Carbondale, IL
  • Connor Ramsey - Anthropology - Rochester, IL
  • Lee Replogle - Molecular and Cellular Biology - Gurnee, IL
  • Linsey Rock - Environmental Science
  • Rachel Samaniego - Art Education - Chicago, IL
  • Christine Santos - Biology/Political Science - Port Charlotte, FL
  • Yang Song - Mathematics - Shanghai, China
  • Ellie Spitz - Human Development and Family Studies - Buffalo Grove, IL
  • Ronald Tisdale - History - Springfield, IL
  • Brandi Tyne - Undeclared - Polo, IL
  • David Walder - Computer Engineering - Oak Park, IL
  • Jan Wieczorek - Chemistry - Chicago, IL
  • Lauren Winters - Communication Studies - Freeport, IL

The Illini 4000 visits Carle Cancer Clinic

On Tuesday September 28th, the Illini 4000 made a trip over to the Carle Cancer Center in Urbana. The visit was made possible by Marci Adelston-Schafer, a nurse of oncology. The group consisted of a few alumni riders and a handful of applicants for the 2011 I4K team. The aim was to keep in touch with the organization's goals of the Portraits Project and to connect with cancer patients and medical staff while we are still on campus. Also, by bringing along individuals new to the organization, we hoped to get an early start on connecting new riders with the cause through such interactions.During our visit, we conducted four Portraits including two patrons of the hospital as they were receiving treatment. We also spoke with an oncology nurse and doctor about their experiences working in the oncology unit. Afterward, we spoke with Marci about the basics of cancer to educate the applicants and prepare them for future Portraits. This is the beginning of our attempt to get more closely connected with our mission here on campus, and we look forward to doing this again.

Upcoming Events

Here's what's coming up in the next month in the Illini 4000:(One More) Information Session:There has been additional interest in an additional Information Session, so we will be holding one final Information Session this Friday evening (Sept 24th) at 7pm in the main lounge of Allen Hall. You do not need to be a resident of Allen Hall to attend, so please stop by if you haven't already.Social Event:Following the Information Session, we'll be having a social event at Caffe Paradiso (Nevada and Lincoln). We'll be hanging out from 8pm until whenever, so drop by and chat with us about bikes, the organization, or whatever else that interests you.Application Deadline:Applications for the Summer 2011 ride are due this Sunday, September 26th at noon. You can apply at http://illini4000.org/apply . Questions can be directed to teamdevelopment@illini4000.org .Carle Clinic Visit:The Illini 4000 will be visiting the Carle Cancer Clinic on September 28th at 6pm. We'll be touring the facilities and learning about the services offered. There is also the chance that we may be able to interact with current patients at the clinic and interview them as part of our outreach program, the Portraits Project. If you are interested in attending, please fill out the form at http://illini4000.org/forms/carlevisit by Sunday September 26th, so we can get an accurate estimate of who will be attending. Please note, that cancer patients are immunocompromised (cannot fight off infections), so in the interest of keeping the people we meet as healthy as can be, we ask that you do not attend if you are even the least bit sick. Questions can be directed to our Director of Special Events at specialevents@illini4000.org .Fritz Memorial Bike Ride:October 3rd, marks the date of the annual Fritz Memorial Bike Ride, honoring a very kind and lovable mechanic who used to work in Champaign. Riders will get to experience some of what central Illinois has to offer, riding through parks, hills and the Sangamon river valley. Routes range from 32 to 110 miles in length. The event includes a hot breakfast in White Heath, IL, snacks and lunch. Registration for the event is $20 and can be paid the day of the event. Further details can be found here: http://s1.webstarts.com/flatsfixedbicycles/fritz_miericke.html24 Hour of Cycling Event:The Illini 4000 will be holding its second 24 Hours of Cycling Event October 28th and 29th. From noon to noon, members of the Illini 4000 will be riding their bikes on Anniversary Plaza (South entrance of the Illini Union) raising money and awareness. During the event the Illini 4000 will be showcasing the work of the Portraits Project and hosting a memorial wall on which the public can leave messages. For more information, or to get involved, please contact the Director of Special Events at specialevents@illini4000.org

New Beginnings - Upcoming Information Sessions

The Illini 4000 is recruiting, looking for people interested in helping in the fight against cancer. The Illini 4000 will be holding 3 Information Sessions over the next 3 weeks so you can learn more about the mission of our organization and our cross country bike ride. Information Sessions start at 7pm on Thursday August 26th, Wednesday September 1st, and Monday September 13th and will be held in 119 English. The English Building is located on the west side of the main quad, just north of Lincoln Hall (the building undergoing construction). Each Information Session will contain the same information, so you only need to attend one session.Persons interested in applying for the 2011 Bike America Team, you are strongly encouraged to attend an Information Session to understand the expectations that will be placed upon them over the next year. If you are sure you wish to be part of our 2011 Bike America Team, apply now at http://illini4000.org/apply. Please make sure you read over the Rider Behavior Policy before submitting your application. If you have any questions, contact our Director of Team Development at teamdevelopment@illini4000.org.

The End

After a short hiatus while riders all traveled home, our final update is here! Around 11am on August 1st the team arrived at Chrissy Field to a large group of Alumni, family and friends. There was a fantastic greeting waiting for the team with many great people, bottles of champaign, and even welcome banners! The team mingled around the park for quite some time, enjoying the great food from the alumni club as well as enjoying the company of those that we missed for so long. Eventually it came time to depart, and the team began dispersing across San Francisco. For some team members that was the last time we saw each other, for others there was still our rest day to hang out together and think about what had just been accomplished. On August 3rd the remainder of the team set off for an early flight home, but not until after hugs had been given by all. The 28 riders of the 2010 Illini 4000 left New York City more than two months ago as strangers, but 72 days later, left San Francisco as the greatest friends.The Illini 4000 would like to take this time to thank everyone who made this journey possible. Everything, from the care packages on the road, to the warm buildings we were allowed to stay in, to the meals provided for us, made this trip so much more than what it would have been. As a team we discovered the warming hospitality of others across our nation, and relied on the support of loved ones back home while on the road for so many days. We would like to thank all of the cancer patients, survivors, and care givers for taking part in our portraits project. We wish good health on those still affected by cancer today, and we will continue to ride year after year for the hope that one day cancer will not exist. To all, our most sincere thanks.

Until Next Time

Transcribed from my journal:"8/3/10 United Airlines Flight 202SFO-->LAXLast nigth was punctuated with goodbye hugs to teammates. Promises to visit U of I ere long, before school starts. I will miss, oh how I will miss these people. Looking forward to training rides with the geographically similar ones. Visits and another marathon and/or triathlon in Champaign/Urbana are very likely. Said my last goodbye and packed and slept.--------------------------Up today at five, taking a train right there outside the church on Judah street, N inbound to Civic Center, then the BART to SFO. Half-awake and moving forward like a robot. The standard cluelessness regarding unfamiliar public transit lines: first pay here, then transfer here. This is free but this is $8.10. Adrian is a pilot so the airport is a routine experience by now. Square peg, square hole past ticketing and security toward my flight.At gate 81 I am third on the standby departures list: HUD/M on the LCD screen. A bagel and coffee later, it's exactly one minute to boarding and I am summoned by the ticketing agent: "Standby passenger Hoo-dets." I board with seating group two, an exit row and window seat to myself, highlighting the transition from "Teammate" to "Individual."I finish my book shortlyafter take-off. This is the fifth book I've read this summer, with most of the others lent out along the way: Cuckoo's Nest for Priscilla, Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for Diana, Oscar Wao for Bridget. I told Tracey I'd get this one to her one of these days, The Corrections is one of my favorites.I've got $11 to my name now and a headfull of memories I'm still processing. Soon I'll be in Arizona to see my grandparents. After that, Chicago. Then there will be the new apartment with Mike, school, work, reconnecting with friends back home (has it really only been 72 days?). I am thinking about how much I'm looking forward to all of these. Getting ecstatic over the little things: I will get to sleep on a bed basically every night.I am blessed, blessed, infinitely blessed and baffled and thankful to receive such kindness, and I think in the emergency row that yes, it was real and yes, life can be as beautiful as it has been. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you."

Home

Dear I4K,I think Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros put it best:"Moats and boats and waterfallsAlleyways and pay phone callsI've been everywhere with youLaugh until we think we'll dieBarefoot on a summer nightNever could be sweeter than with youAh, homeLet me go homeHome is wherever I'm with you"This summer has been the most incredible summer of my life!  We have grown into one big, quirky, dysfunctional but amazing family.  It's been an awesome trip, spending time with all of you biking across this great nation.  We've struggled through mountains and headwinds and enjoyed it nonetheless.  Every one of you is amazingly dedicated, talented, and I can't wait to hear about your continued adventures.  As great as it is to be back home with family and friends, I already miss you guys and I know I'll have trouble adjusting back into normal society.  Take care and stay in touch!I4K, we made it all the way :)

We made it

This was supposed to be posted 2 weeks ago. But we did not get Internet access, or more so I was lazy to find time to post it. We rolled into San Fran yesterday. I would still like to take some time to reminisce the last 70 days and hence this post.The following was written 2 weeks ago... With the trip coming to a closure in no time, there's been a sense of ambivalence in me. I want it to come to a full circle, so that 10 years down the road I can look back in life with no regret. It's hard to account for the conflicting feelings in me right now, harder than the struggle up the appellations, metaphorically of course. The tremendous sense of achievement and satisfaction I've gained along the trip is indescribable. It's not so much of doing a 80mile ride on rugged terrain in unforgiving weather, nor is it tolerating the knee pain with every hill we've to climb. It is waking up everyday having the mentality of not wanting to ride. (Just kidding!!) It is the inner strength that fights this mentality every morning and forces me to peddle.  It is the extra stroke everyone puts in when we feel like throwing in the towel. It is venturing out of our comfort zone and constantly pushing to accomplish something we would have never thought to be able to accomplish on our own. It is committing to a common cause and never losing faith, both in the cause and ourselves, or having the courage to look for faith again after we've lost it.I feel like I've learnt a lot  from this short span of 70 days, more than what I could from 7 months of school. The past few days (in Washington) have been hard. But would I have done it if I knew beforehand that it's this hard? I think I would.So today is Aug 2nd, one day after the last riding day. I still remember during the first few weeks, I would dread the journey on the road, wishing that this could come to an end soon. But now, I wish it had not ended. I miss the 6 am wake-up. I miss having to sleep on the cold hard floor in a room with 27 other people. I miss having cereal for breakfast. I miss having PB&J for lunch. I miss the van, yeah the smelly van. I miss riding my bike with 27 other riders across the Golden Gate. I miss the stories we tell on the ride. I miss the games we play (Contact, What would you do for a million dollars?). I miss the times we could not ride our bikes in a straight line because we had to laugh so hard at someone's jokes. I miss taking naps alongside the road waiting for people to change their flats. I miss being moshered and moshering others. I miss the moshers. I miss the times we complained so much about the 80% hills and headwinds and the unbearable heat. I miss packing the van. I miss copying cues that last for 80 miles on the same road. i miss the insanely long concerns meetings. I miss stopping for ice cream on the road. I miss the trail mix at rest stops. I miss going down the Big Horn at 40mph shivering in the cold. I miss doing portraits. I miss everything in the past 70 days. I miss everyone's smiles. I miss laughing at their jokes. I miss hose showers......There's so much more that I miss.So here we are, at the end of the trip. I'm really proud of everyone for having the faith to finish it, for taking this huge step towards fighting cancer and making such a great impact on  society that we ourselves may not even realize.A month and half ago in Champaign we sang,"I4K, we are going to make it all the way." Now, it's "I4K, we've made it!"

T minus 15 miles

This morning we awoke, excited to complete our last "real" day of riding. Eamon had the Mosher and graced our companion touring cyclist Max with an Ilini 4000 jersey.  We also played a game we had first played in West Yellowstone, which resembled a cross between tag and "red rover."Today's morning was rather flat and led us through urban areas, and once the sun came out in the afternoon, we were greeted with warm weather, hills, and lots of other cyclists on the road.  We enjoyed our very last rest stop at mile 45, full of music and snacks and photos.The team arrived in beautiful San Rafael and prepared for a day of housekeeping.  The van was completely unloaded, the out-of-control lost and found bin was emptied for the first time in ages, and a massively long and productive debriefing meeting was held.  We paused for a dinner break, graciously donated by the Mazurski and Oden families at San Rafael's Joe's Italian restaurant.  The meeting continued after dinner, well into the evening.  Some riders went to bed at a reasonable hour, while others chose to continue the van cleaning party well into the night.

Wine Country

This morning woke up to cold weather and mist. After warming up with some oatmeal, Kevin asked us to share our favorite memories during the Mosher. We all reminisced about Pennsylvania, the Bighorns and the generous people we have interacted with along the way. At the end of the Mosher, Kevin passed Mono Roberto (his stuffed monkey) on to a touring cyclist we had met the day before. Jeffypants promised to take care of Mono on his trek to Cuba.By the time we reached our first rest stop the mist had dissipated and the sun was out in full force. The scenery transformed from a cold and windy, albeit beautiful, coast to rolling hills flanked by vineyards and narrow winding roads. At our lunch stop we met with Ana's mom and she brought us some strawberries and kettle corn. Om nom!With the clock ticking, we eagerly raced to Healdsburg where the Volkmans were waiting to greet us. Mr. and Mrs. Volkman took us all out for dinner at a local restaurant, which was a nice treat after a long summer of pasta and beans. It was a great last hurrah before we arrive in San Francisco in only 2 days!

Camping out again!

We beat the sun to an early wake up and prepared ourselves for the longest ride we have ever done - 107 miles! As we were riding from inland to the edge of the coast, we had to climb over some big hills. It was not an easy ride. There were two main big hills that we had to climb over. The coastline was beautiful, but it got really chilly. Some of the groups did not manage to beat the sun to the campsite. Thankfully, a great dinner of pasta, beans, our all-time favorite chips and salsa, and smores made a great end to our exhausting day. Thanks to Jaime's parents for sponsoring the dinner!

Cycling Amongst Giants

The team has been without internet for several days but put in a call yesterday with some details of their recent experiences.On Tuesday, the team woke to temperatures in the low 60s. Surrounded by clouds they rode through a reedwood forest, making their way inland and away from the fog. The rest of the day was pleasant, consisting mostly of rolling hills and warm weather.Yesterday was again cold in the morning with warmer weather in the afternoon as they headed further inland.  The highlight of the day was riding through the Avenue of Giants, a stunning Redwood forest on Old Highway 101. The team camped last night, preparing for a 108 mile ride today.

California Dreaming

With a late wake up this morning (7:30am!) the team was more rested than normal for our day's ride today. Our recent birthday boy, Szymon, led us in an energetic game for our morning routine which left the team in high spirits. As we began our last ride day in Oregon the weather was cooler than expected, but the climbing early in the day warmed us up bit. The team continually found themselves surrounded by fog as we climbed up and down highway 101, with breathtaking views of the coast in between. Our second rest stop was conveniently placed at the California state sign offering us a chance for group pictures and California themed tunes before rolling into Crescent City this evening. Some riders used their time before team dinner to seek out much needed showers and laundry, while others chose to catch up on sleep instead. Every one is excited now that we have reached the coast after so many days of riding, it's hard to believe we only have a week left!

San Francisco Arrival Information

The Illini 4000 will be completing their cross-country journey this coming Sunday with their San Francisco arrival. If you would like to greet them upon their arrival, the San Francisco Illini Alumni Club has graciously coordinated an event for us at Crissy Field near the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge. Festivities begin at 10:30am and will last until 12:30pm, with riders scheduled to arrive around 11:00am. The alumni club is ordering box lunches for the event. If you would like a lunch, the cost will be $12, lunches can be ordered through the San Francisco Alumni Club's website in the link provided below. All lunch orders must be in by Thursday, July 29th.Further details about the event can be found at: http://www.sfbayillini.org/article.html?aid=266Questions about the arrival event can be directed to Sylvia Kung at 925.324.4221. We hope to see you there!

It's Christmas Time!

Well it's that time of the year again when gifts are given and a hearty feast is held in honor of the special holiday. Although the normal snow on the ground has been replaced with sand, the I4k still honors the Christmas spirit by celebrating Christmas in July.Last night some of the team huddled around mugs of hot cocoa, while our morning's normal routine was supplemented by traditional carols sung by Steve and Jaime. Throughout our ride today (a light 58 miles) some riders scrambled to find last minute gifts while others thought of interesting ways to wrap the ones they found. At one of our rest stops along our route, a forward thinking rider nabbed a small evergreen plant to use as our Christmas tree. Now the team is eagerly awaiting dinner so that the celebration can begin. To all of our followers back home, Merry Christmas (in July)!

2024 Team Fundraising Total: $60,000

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The Illini 4000 • PO Box 2431 Champaign, IL 61825 • The Illini 4000 is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.