Southland Boy Takes To The Bike Trail To Raise Funds And Food For Together We Cope

—Submitted by Together We Cope

If you took a walk around Yankee Woods in Oak Forest a couple of weeks ago, you might have seen a pre-teen boy making the rounds on his bike. Despite the cold weather, the 12-year-old from the Southland was making good on his pledge to bike 30 miles to raise money and food donations for Together We Cope.

For the third year in a row, the student took on this challenge at the suggestion of Oak Forest Raiders coach Scott Erickson, whose wife Pam once ran 50 miles to raise food for TWC. “I thought I could do something like that to help the community,” he said.

A football player and wrestler, he decided he could ride his bike 20 miles along the trail at Yankee Woods. His father joined him.

The first year, he collected 586 nonperishable items for Together We Cope.

The second year, he upped the route to 30 miles, collecting 285 items and nearly $300.

This year, he vowed to bike 30 miles again. His father joined him on the trail. Despite taking a bad fall that wrecked his handlebars, he hopped on his dad’s bike and finished that circuit. The next day, he headed back to the trail with his grandfather, and the two rode around until he completed the 30th mile.

Ten days before Christmas, he and his family stopped by TWC to drop off 12 bags of food, checks totaling $130 and another $349 in cash donations.

“What a great way to help us,” said Patty Houlihan, who handles marketing and communications for TWC. “With our food pantry feeding 5,000 people every month, Together We Cope relies on people like [the boy] and the Ericksons. We could not do it without them.”

Together We Cope is a prevention agency based in Tinley Park that provides resources to families in crisis from 27 south suburban communities, enabling them to stay in their homes. In 2014, the agency earned a four-star rating from Charity Navigator for the fourth year in a row, a level of recognition only 7 percent of charities achieve. Further information is at www.togetherwecope.org.