Ride On: Corporate support takes fundraising to the next level

This month I’m turning over my blog space to Shamrock’s Tim Berry who recently biked as part of “Team Rover” for The American Cancer Society’s 9th Annual Pan Ohio Hope Ride—a 4-day, 328-mile ride from Cleveland to Cincinnati.

Tim’s effort is one that Shamrock’s Culture Club embraced by rallying support from our employees. Read on to learn more about Tim’s personal drive behind this special fund raiser.

Like many of us, I support a variety of charities; I’m willing to donate to organizations and people in need. But taking part in the Pan Ohio Hope Ride—for the third time—has helped me to reach beyond my baseline level of support. It was an experience that reinforced for me, in a powerful way, what can be accomplished when you join together as a team.

At the start of the race, I looked out across the sea of cyclists: Here we all were, out there, showing up and joining together to fight for a cause that is so much bigger than all of us. We had put in hundreds of hours of training to prepare; with that shared commitment there was a real sense of camaraderie among the riders. It just felt good, to be doing such good. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.  

I rode with Team Rover, a group of my friends (who later became clients) www.followrover.com; each one of us had our own inspiration for participating. For me it was Jackie Bankston. She was one of my colleagues at Shamrock who lost her battle to cancer at a young age. My personal goal was to raise $4,000 in Jackie’s honor. And then our community involvement committee at Shamrock jumped on board; they helped promote my cause. People who I had never met before pledged money and followed my ride progress. With employee donations and Shamrock’s matching-fund contribution, I collected more than $7,500 for The American Cancer Society.

The experience was incredibly satisfying; beyond riding 328 miles across the state, it was rewarding to contribute to such a successful fundraising effort. Paul Purdy at The American Cancer Society in Cleveland did an amazing job organizing the event—it’s one of the most professional, well-run events I’ve been a part of. Click here to view event photos.

For those of us who enjoy giving back, I think it’s important to solicit corporate support to add more fuel to your fire. In my case, I was able to well surpass my goal. If you’d like to learn more about ways to get your company behind your next fundraiser, feel free to email me at tberry@shamrockcompanies.net.

Tim Berry  

Pan Ohio Hope Ride 2015: 46 teams I  378 participants I  $810,576.88 raised