July 18, 2010 in Chicago, IL

KATHY GILMOUR RIDING IN TOUR des TREES

Greetings:

            This July I will be participating in the Tour des Trees to help raise money for the Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund).  Tour des Trees, a cross-country cycling tour now in its 18th year, has become the signature fundraising event of the TREE Fund and America’s largest fundraising event for tree research and education. 

            This year’s “Chicago Loop”, a 500-mile bike ride, starts in Chicago at Millennium Park on July 18, heads northward and then west towards the Mississippi River and Iowa before looping back towards Chicago and ending at the famous Morton Arboretum on July 24.  This six-day venture marks my seventh consecutive tour.  I guess you can say the Tour has become an annual pilgrimage across North America for me.

            Over the years and many miles, I have seen why this Tour is so important to so many people and how it really does have an impact on our urban environment by promoting awareness and achieving results.  With my bike in tow, I will join old friends and meet new ones from across the continent while cycling along roads that are lined by the cause - Trees.  As always, there will be many opportunities throughout the Tour for the riders to emphasize the role that research and education play in the health of our community trees.

            I know you understand why this event is so important to me and know I ask for your financial support.  My goal is to raise $3,500…I really hope you will help me get there or better yet, shatter that goal!  It’s hard asking family, colleagues, and friends for money, especially in this day and age when there are so many worthy charities, but this cause is near and dear to my heart.  I hope you can donate $25, $50, $100 or more to help me meet my goal.  Through the efforts of this ride, the TREE Fund continues to fund research crucial to keeping the urban forest vibrant with innovative projects each year.  Visit www.TreeFund.org to learn more about these exciting new programs.

            Please help support my fundraising efforts by submitting your generous, tax-deductible donation today!  Towns and cities everywhere benefit from the legacy of research and education funded by the Tour.

            Thank you so much for your help!
Kathy Gilmour
Click here to visit my webpage and make a donation.

To learn more about the Tour des Trees ride, please visit: <http://stihltourdestrees.org/>