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News & Features
From the Idyllwild Town Crier weekly newspaper, 11.13.08 edition.
Cyclists
raise big dollars
for injured Marines
By Marshall Smith, Correspondent
Waiting at the Camp Pendleton finish line, longtime Idyllwild residents
George and Jeanette Schultejann cheered as son Greg and 20 other
40-something cyclists completed the last leg of a four-day, 420-mile
charity ride. The Ride for Semper Fi raised money for Marines injured
in Iraq and Afghanistan. Parents and friends of the riders, Camp
Pendleton base commander Col. James B. Seaton III, Master Sgt. David
Lind — who lost both legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2006 — and
other Marines and well-wishers applauded as cyclists road into the
park. All 21, who began the ride on Oct. 22 in Scottsdale, Ariz.,
completed the journey.
Greg moved to the Hill with his parents in 1967 as a first-grader. He
graduated from Idyllwild School and Hemet High. He now lives in Apache
Junction, Ariz., and travels the West as a clinical consultant and
troubleshooter for Baxter International Inc., a medical implements
company. “He travels a lot, and uses his bike as a tension reliever on
the weekends,” said George.
Greg joined the ride at the urging of John Greenway, a member of his
cycling club, Higher Living, Health and Performance. Greenway conceived
the idea for the ride after watching his nephew graduate from boot camp
at Camp Pendleton. While there, Greenway met several Marines who had
been injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. He returned to Arizona determined
to do something to help. He asked members of his cycling club about the
idea of a charity ride with riders obtaining pledges of money to help
injured Marines.
Other Phoenix-area riders began in June to promote the idea within the
local cycling community. As word spread, more riders committed to the
October target date.
Greenway learned of the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund (IMSFF).
Established in 2004, IMSFF provides financial assistance and
quality-of-life solutions to Marines and sailors injured in combat. Now
the group had an established and worthy recipient for money raised.
Rider Shawn Roberts, employee of Scottsdale-based Go Daddy Group Inc.,
pitched the idea to his boss, CEO Bob Parsons, a Marine Vietnam
veteran. Parsons agreed to sponsor the riders with lodging, food, a
support van and cycling jerseys. Don Eldridge of DNA Cycles in
Scottsdale signed on as a sponsor, and enlisted Specialized Bicycle
Components as another sponsor.
Lt. Col. Paul Thompson of Mesa, an Air Force reservist who flies a
medical evacuation transport from Iraq to Germany, joined the ride to
complete his circle of aid to these soldiers — flying them, in uniform,
as a military pilot to military hospitals, and then cycling for them,
in spandex bike gear, to help fund their rehabilitation.
Greenway initially set a $20,000 pledge goal for the ride. He soon
revised it upward to $50,000, as more riders signed on. Soon Greenway
had his full complement of 21 riders, with Greg one of his first
enlistees.
Greenway thought the revised $50,000 goal was very optimistic, but
enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm. When Semper Fi cyclists reached Camp
Pendleton in Oceanside, Greenway and group presented a $71,833 check to
Lind, who received it on behalf of IMSFF.
“We started out as 21 people who did not know each other all that
well,” said Greg “We finished as a team. The oldest guy riding was 55.
A few guys were in the 30s. The rest of us are in our 40s.” Greg
remembers the steep climb from Brawley to Julian as the biggest
highlight of the trip. “The goal that day was for everyone to make it.
It wasn’t easy, but everyone did. Also, coming into Camp Pendleton at
the end of the ride was pretty cool. All our friends and family were
there.”
Would he do it again? “Oh yeah, for sure. I wouldn’t miss it for the
world,” enthused Schultejann. “This really made an impact in all of our
lives. We were so overjoyed [with the experience] we decided to make it
an annual event.”
Greg said prior to the ride, the largest money-raising event for IMSFF
was the Wine Country Marine Corps Birthday Ball that raises, on
average, $15,000. “The base commander was blown away by the amount of
money we raised,” said Greg. “We’re hoping to have 30 to 40 riders next
time,” he said. See www.semperfifund.org for more information on IMSFF.
Greg
Schultejann
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