Fire Chief George Spencer has always loved bike riding. He said he remembers riding his bike all the time as a child. He couldn’t get enough of bike riding.
So recently this Addison Township official decided to revive his past and bring back one of his greatest loves for a good cause – Spencer participated in the 16th Annual Wish-A-Mile 300 Bicycle Tour (WAM).
“It was a marvelous experience,” said Spencer.
WAM is a 300-mile tour where each rider or team of riders raise awareness and funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan. This year’s event went from July 24 through July 27. The tour began in Cheboygan and ended in Milford at the General Motors Proving Ground Softball Fields, and each day covered around 100 miles.
Addison Fire Chief George Spencer said he originally heard about the tour from Addison firefighter and medic Pam Beach. She was preparing to participate in the event for her third year and encouraged Spencer to join.
“After I decided to do it I went right out and bought a mountain bike,” laughed the fire chief. “I though it would be great. I’ve never done something like this.”
Spencer added that he actually had more personally reasons than a new bike for participating. He has a special friend who was once a part of the Make-A-Wish program. “I had a very personal experience where one of my friends at the Wixom Fire Department had a daughter with a challenging physical ailment,” he explained. “I got to see her be helped by the Make-A-Wish Foundation and I was astounded by what I saw.”
Spencer said that the little girl has since survived cancer, graduated college and is now a successful teacher.
To train for the event, Spencer said he has been riding for more than a year and began riding seriously this past April. He added that he was going about 120 miles a week by the time of the tour.
“To do at least 100 miles a day, well, you’re going to average at least eight hours on the bike a day,” he said. “It can be physically challenging.”
Each rider, or team, was given a specific child to fund-raise for and asked to collect at least $500. Spencer said he raised $680.
“That’s not very much when there were teams out there raising thousands of dollars,” he added. “The Make-A-Wish Foundation is just great. It was so easy to fund-raise for because everyone knows how good it is.”
The WAM 300 for 2003 saw 450 riders raise more than $545,000. Nearly 85 children and their families will benefit from the success of this event.
“I am definitely going to do this next year,” said Spencer. “After riding 300 miles that weekend, when we finally make it to Milford – being greeted by our families and the Wish Kids – it was just the greatest and most intense feeling I’ve ever had. It was a very emotional experience.”
Spencer said he is looking to form a team for the 2004 event because “doing something like this is much more rewarding when you do it as a large group.”
Anyone interested in participating or just wanting to donate for next year’s ride can contact Spencer at the firehall at 248-628-5600. For more information on the Make-A-Wish Foundation or the WAM 300, please go to www.wishmich.org.