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IMMEDIATE RELEASE 6-15-99 HPD OFFICERS BICYCLE 4,410 MILES TO BENEFIT LEUKEMIA SOCIETY Houston, Texas. . . On June 22, 1999, the Houston Police Department (HPD) Bicycle Relay Team will begin a twelve-day, nonstop bicycle relay ride from Houston, Texas to Fairbanks, Alaska. The team will be made up of 32 members from HPD, the Houston Fire Department, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Fairbanks Police Department. This ride will mark the 18th Anniversary for this unparalleled volunteer effort and will cross 4,410 miles and nine states and three Canadian provinces to raise funds to help "arrest" the #1 child Killing disease ... LEUKEMIA! (However, ten times the number of adults die of leukemia than do children!) The sendoff ceremony will be held at The University of Texas at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX), beginning at 7 a.m. and concluding when the team departs at 8 a.m. Leukemia patients will be helping to send the team on their way this year and each team member will receive a "dog tag" bearing the name of their honored patient to inspire and encourage them throughout the trip. These special officers have traveled 32,000+ miles (enough miles to go around the world) running or bicycling across this great nation spreading good will along the way. They do so to improve the quality of life for all humankind and to bring the cure for leukemia one day, one family, and one patient sooner. They truly wear the badge that means they care. President Bush commended them in the Rose Garden for being a shining example in his "thousand points of light" program. During the past seventeen years, the officers of this team have given several thousand hours of their personal time at area shopping malls offering commemorative T-shirts and caps in appreciation for donations. They have contributed over $2.1 million dollars to help improve the quality of life for those dealing with leukemia. The Relay Team is the #1 fundraiser in the Texas Gulf Coast Chapter of the Leukemia Society of America (LSA) and one of the largest contributors to LSA in the United States. People really appreciate the team's effort. They have been showered with money from passing cars on two-lane blacktops. After a long day of riding, they have received dead-of-night greetings from brass bands and grand tours in small towns from coast-to-coast to show appreciation for all they do. The HPD Bicycle Relay Team hopes this year's 18th Anniversary Ride will bring a greater awareness to everyone of the need to continue the progress in conquering leukemia. Survival rates for the most common form of childhood leukemia have risen from 5% in 1960 to 79% in 1998. Most modern forms of treating all cancers were first pioneered in leukemia research, including chemotherapy, transfusion and radiation therapies and bone marrow transplants. Leukemia research is looked upon as the window to the cure of all cancer! But the thrilling part, according to team members, is listening to the researchers saying that by the end of the decade, there should be a cure for leukemia! LSA, celebrating its 5O~ Anniversary during 1999, is the only organization established solely to seek control of and an ultimate cure for leukemia and other blood-related cancers. There are fifty-seven chapters across the United States serving their communities through programs of research, patient aid, professional and public education and community service. LSA receives no funding from the federal government or the United Way, but depends totally on contributions from individuals, corporations, foundations and special events, such as the HPD Bicycle Relay Team Ride, to provide funds needed to bring the cure for leukemia into a reality for every adult and child currently battling this disease. For more information contact:
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