Summit’s Akian family organizes 8th Annual Ride 4 Avi; to benefit biomedical research

SUMMIT — The Akian family will host their 8th Annual Ride 4 Avi Motorcycle Run and Community Barbeque on Sunday, September 24, 2017. The event honors 15 year old Summit resident, Avedis (Avi) Akian, and the commitment of his family and friends to find a cure for ataxia-telangiectasia or A-T.

Motorcyclist are invited to a continental breakfast and registration at the Springfield Columbian Club, 60 Harvard St, Summit from 10am-11am. The escorted tour through New Jersey’s scenic countryside begins at 11:15am. The tour is followed at 1pm by a community barbeque buffet and family activities for all ages including face painting, volleyball, corn hole, a bounce house, tricky tray, crafts, games, and a performance by the Blooze Boys Band.

Ataxia Telangiectasia is a rare, genetic disease; that affects only about 500 children and young adults in the U.S. It attacks in early childhood; after a healthy, normal infancy and toddlerhood; it progressively affects coordination, predisposes children to cancer and severely compromises their immune systems.Children with A-T are usually unable to walk by the age of 10, and many children suffer life threatening infections, cancers and illness in their teenage years. Children with A-T maintain normal to above normal intelligence and are trapped inside a body that no longer works. Avi was diagnosed at the age of 7 in 2009.

The Ride 4 Avi grassroots fundraising events donate 100% of money raised to the AT Children's Project, the largest nonprofit organization in the U.S. that is solely committed to funding first rate biomedical research, international conferences and a clinical research center at John’s Hopkins Medical Center.

Ride 4 Avi is proud to announce that together with our corporate sponsors over $200,000 has been raised in the last seven years. This years event will support the implementation of a first of it's kind international clinical data base and gene sequencing project for children from all around the world diagnosed with A-T. Together, the data base and genomic sequences create an opportunity to “leapfrog” research years ahead and bring us closer to correcting this DNA defect.

Tax deductible donations are $25 for riders, $15 for adults, $10 for children ages three to 12. The raindate will be Sunday,

October 1. For more information or to make an online donation please visit ride4avi.com.