News Release May 15, 2001

Tour d'Okemos Fundraiser - Catch The Ride!

OKEMOS - An early summer morning spent cycling - smelling flower gardens and fresh cut grass, hearing puppies yip, feeling the sunshine on your bare knees and wind rubbing your pale-winter cheeks. A summer morning without your pager - or cell phone - no traffic jams and no rush. Your goal simply to Catch The Ride! Ride the Tour d'Okemos.

Tour d'Okemos is a six-year-old community tradition sponsored by the Okemos Education Foundation. "Our fundraising event is a recreational opportunity built on strong community values, good health and solid family fun," says chairman Jack Hettiger. "It gives all of us a chance to spend some enjoyable time out in the community while building an endowment fund for innovative educational opportunities."

Saturday, June 2, Tour d'Okemos takes place at Chippewa Middle School, Okemos. Registration is open from 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. The event concludes at 1 p.m. Cyclists and families can ride for leisure - or for non-competitive sport - depending on which of the three designated routes they pick: the 5 mile Family Route, the 16 mile Lake Lansing Route or the 25 mile Endurance Route.

The event will proceed rain or shine. Helmets are required for all participants, and adults must accompany young riders.

Call the Tour d'Okemos Hotline at 349-4460 ext. BIKE for details or to request an early registration form. The form is also available online. Registration fees: $10 Children 12 and under, $15 Individual Cyclist and $50 Family Rate. Registration fees are non-refundable.

Proceeds from the event help sustain the mission of the Okemos Education Foundation to secure funds needed to enrich educational opportunities and encourage innovative educational endeavors that are beyond the district's normal budgetary and operational functions.