Bike For Zike – N – Fury
The Chicago Fury are sponsoring a fundraiser bike-a-thon from Arctic Ice Arena in Orland Park, IL. to Fishers IN. approximattely 200 miles, beginning Thursday, May 28th and ending Sunday, May 31st. Please see attached document.
The Chicago Fury is sponsoring a fundraiser bike ride from Arctic Ice Arena in Orland Park, IL to Fishers, IN, approximately 200 miles, beginning Thursday, May 28th and ending Sunday, May 31st.
As many of you know, Derek suffered a burst fracture of his C5 causing him to be paralyzed from his mid section down. He went through weeks of therapy, to be able to breathe and eat on his own. As of today, April 21st, he has no movement in his legs, minimal use if his hands and only recently regained partial use of his arms. His prognosis is unknown as spinal cord injuries take an extremely long time to heal, if they heal at all. (Updates on Derek’s condition can be found at www.chicagofury.com)
The Zike family, along with dealing with the trauma of this life changing event, also needed to renovate their home to make it handicap accessible, needed a handicap van, and Mike and Robin, Derek’s parents, had months off work. There have been a large number of costs the family has endured that have not been covered by health insurance.
Since Derek’s home coming from the U of Mich. Hospital on April 11th, the family has been overwhelmed with caring for Derek. The things the nurses did for Derek on a 24/7 basis, his Mom, Dad and Gradma now must do. Derek’s rehab that was 4+ hours daily in Michigan is down to just about 1-1.5 hours since coming home. The additional rehab costs are not covered by insurance and there will undoubtedly be continuing costs not absorbed by insurance. The family has need of in-home care for Derek, and also would like to see him get as much rehab as possible. While Derek was receiving the 4+ hours daily he was making some progress in his legs, with trace movements, etc.
From the money I am able to raise, 50% of all proceeds will go directly to the Derek Zike Trust Fund. The remainder of the funds will go to set up a scholarship fund to help families that have gifted players but can not afford AAA hockey. It is our goal that no player be turned away from the Fury solely because of the cost. A benevolence board will review applications and determine the amount of scholarship money awarded, if any, strictly based on the family income, hardship and need. No player will receive money based on their hockey ability.
Please help Derek and the Fury by generously pledging your rider for each mile he or she rides! If you have interest in becoming a rider, or have any questions about the event, please contact Marc Kapsalis at 630-359-5531 or at mkapsalis@comcast.net.
Thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
Marc Kapsalis, President, Chicago Fury AAA Hockey Club
Pledge Goal $250,000
Sponsorship Levels: (Which Level Are you)
NHL ALL-Star Sponsor 1 donor of $50,000
NHL Sponsor, $10,000 Need 5 Sponsors at this level, Check here if this is you ___
NCAA Sponsor, $5,000 Need 10 Sponsors at this level, Check here if this is you ___
Junior A Sponsor, $1,000 Need 50 Sponsors at this level, Check here if this is you ___
AAA Sponsor, $500 Need 100 Sponsors at this level, Check here if this is you ___
Friend of Derek Sponsor Need 100’s of Sponsors at this level, Check here if this is you ___
Rider’s Name___________________________________________________
Your Name ____________________________________________________
Home Phone____________________ Cell Phone _______________________
Email 1 __________________________ Email 2 _______________________
Ride length is 200 miles…
Pledge amount per mile ___________ Total Pledged if ride completed ___________
Checks should be made out to “Chicago Fury” and mailed to Bike-For-Zike, 848 S. Linden Ave., Elmhurst, IL 60126 or complete credit card information below and mail to same address:
Card Holder Name _________________________________________
Billing Address ___________________________________________
Card # _________________________________ Exp. ___________