Community Corner
Livingston Residents Gear Up for Cycle for Survival
Annual fundraiser created by former Livingston resident raises thousands for cancer research.
Livingston residents are putting their best legs forward on Saturday afternoon.
That's when the Livingston Township Senior and Community Center will become home to Cycle for Survival, an annual fundraiser that supports research for rare cancers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York City.
The fundraising cycling event was created in 2007 by former township resident Jennifer Goodman Linn. Linn was an award-winning motivational speaker and marketing strategy consultant who died last summer after battling sarcoma for six years. The fundraiser - which has been held in New York, California and other states - has generated more than $15.6 million and supported 25 research studies, according to the Cycle for Survival website.
This year's cycle is more poignant because of Linn's passing and also it will be the the first time there will be a satellite event location in Livingston, said Jeanne Silberman, who is co-organizing New Jersey's Cycle for Survival with Greer Gelman.
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A total of 130 donated bikes will be set up inside the township Senior and Community Center, 204 Hillside Ave., and more than 500 riders have signed up to participate, Silberman said.
The goal is to raise $300,000 and recently, money appeared to be pouring in. A total of $277,284.98 had been raised as of Tuesday, according to the NJ satellite website. Last week, $6,600 was raised at an event at Calabria Restaurant and Pizzeria with a matching donation from JAG Physical Therapy of West Orange, Silberman wrote in an e-mail.
Find out what's happening in Livingstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The fundraiser will also feature a new 30-minute teen cycle for 13 to 18-year-olds, organized by Livingston resident Sydney Becker, 13, who is a sarcoma survivor.
Becker said she and her friends are excited about helping others by raising money for pediatric cancer research. "Its a really fun event," Becker said. "When you're in the room spinning, it's a really great feeling, knowing you are making a difference."
The Cycle for Survival is from 12 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Sign-ups for adults is full, but teenagers 13- to 18-years-old can still sign up for the Teen Cycle, which will take place at 4:30 p.m. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.donatecyclenj.org or e-mail Livingstoncycleforsurvival@yahoo.com
