Over 250 riders from various cycling clubs in west Broward County came together Sunday, August 22, 2010 to support the Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center’s (CDTC) “Back to School” drive. Riders from the Broward Barracudas Triathlon Club, Alligators Cycling Club, and a number of other local clubs participated in a 50 mile bike ride to help CDTC collect school supplies and backpacks for its neediest clients. The ride began early Sunday morning and took riders as far north as Sawgrass before heading to Weston then back to Alex’s Bike Shop in Davie. Participants in the ride were encouraged to drop off school supplies and backpacks at Alex’s Bike Shop which generously served as the collection location. Hundreds of school supplies were collected and assisted the Center with providing over 800 children with the necessary items to start the school year ready to learn. Board member and CDTC Transformers co-chair, Alfredo Aguirre from Merrill Lynch/Bank of America, spearheaded this effort. Brenda Cortes, a board member of the Broward Barracudas, was also instrumental in the planning and logistics of this inaugural event.
Supporters for this event included Mrs. Natassia Orr of Broward Health Weston, who generously allowed the use of its facilities as the mid way point during the ride, and the Broward Barracudas Triathlon Club which provided all of the food for the riders and was actively involved in the recruitment of other participants. Alex’s Bike Shop helped secure the energy bars and beverages and was the starting point for the bike ride.
“The event was a tremendous success and plans are under way for next year’s ride,” said Mr. Aguirre, CDTC Board Member.
“We are grateful for the outstanding support from our community, without which this event would not have been such a success!” said Susan Widmayer, Ph.D., Executive Director, CDTC.
The Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center (CDTC) is a not-for-profit organization that serves more than 10,000 children with special health care needs in Broward County. CDTC’s mission is to promote the optimal health and well-being of children with special health care needs by providing comprehensive prevention, intervention and treatment services within a medical home environment. CDTC is a nationally recognized “Center of Excellence,” offering a unique system of care for infants, children and youth with chronic illnesses, disabilities and developmental delays. All medical care and social services are provided regardless of the families’ ability to pay.