If there’s one thing JDRF Riders do best, it’s rallying together during tough times and ensuring that no obstacle, not even a global pandemic, gets in the way of their ability to cross the finish line. 2020 has proven that.

At the beginning of the year, we were poised to have our best Ride season yet – to raise an incredible amount of funds, be one of the top Ride programs in the country, celebrate personal milestones and, most importantly, come together on Ride weekend to celebrate as a team. When COVID hit & JDRF announced that our traditional 2020 Ride events would not take place in person, the team did not back down. Instead, they stepped up, got creative and pushed harder than ever to accomplish their goals.

We have seen so many incredible stories come out of the 2020 Ride season. Below are just a few highlights of what our riders accomplished this year:

• The Georgia & South Carolina Chapter had a goal of raising $275,000 in 2020. Together, our riders have raised over $306,000 and counting!
• The Georgia & South Carolina Chapter is currently the #3 top fundraising chapter in the country!
• 10 first time riders raised $2,020+!
• SC Rider, Wendy Moody, ensured her friends & family could ride with her on Ride day by asking them to sponsor a spoke on her bike. This not only helped Wendy meet her fundraising goal, but her creative fundraising idea inspired other riders to do the same, helping them achieve their goals as well. That’s teamwork!
• GA Rider, Ashton Smith, achieved a personal record (PR) on ride day by riding 104 miles in honor of JDRF!
• Veteran riders met up with first time riders in Amelia Island on Ride Day (socially distanced) to ensure they did not have to do their first JDRF ride alone.

The stories are endless, but a common theme runs through all of them – community. Without the incredible strength & support of our Ride community, none of this would have been possible. Please join us in congratulating our 2020 riders. We truly cannot thank them enough for their passion and dedication to JDRF’s mission.

A special thanks goes out to our 2020 Ride Volunteer Leadership – Coaches Mark Gilliam, Eric James, Peter Miller and Jason Smith; SC Ride Champions Tanya Hanchon, Nancy Pattison and Loraine Smith; and GA Ride Committee Members – Sunnie Devidas, Barry Falcon, Sean Sanders, Jonathan Thompson and Mark Willoughby. Another thank you goes to our top Ride sponsor, Engineered Solutions of Georgia!