Alumnus Tyler Jury, FIJIs Team Complete Bike Rides across US for Alzheimers

via WKU News

The Fijis Across America cross country bike ride for Alzheimer’s research concluded Friday afternoon (June 16) in Yorktown, Va.

The group, which includes five WKU students, began their 3,200-mile journey through nine states May 25 in Oceanside, Calif. Riders from WKU are Tyler Jury of Elizabethtown, Chaz Vittitow of Louisville, Mitchell White of Bowling Green, Justin Cave of Glendale and Wade Haga of Lexington.

“It’s been a great adventure,” Jury said Friday afternoon. “We were doing it for a cause that is close to our hearts and one that’s close to the hearts of many people we’ve met along the way who gave us great motivation to get through the journey.

“We’ve inspired people and we’ve been inspired by many others as well.”

Jury organized the ride and fundraiser in memory of his grandfather, Barrett Cummings who died in July 2009. The group has raised nearly $40,000 toward a goal of $75,000 to benefit the Greater Kentucky/Southern Indiana Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

“Our ride is over but the fight against this disease isn’t so we’ll continue our efforts to raise funds and awareness,” he said.

Along the way through California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Virginia, the riders participated in numerous fundraising events and were interviewed by various media outlets to increase local, state and national awareness about Alzheimer’s.

The group collected stories of Alzheimer’s impact on families and dedicated each day’s ride to a family. They posted those videos and others on the Fijis Across America website as well as on YouTube and Facebook.

Additional information about the trip is available on the Fijis Across America website and Facebook page.

Contact: Tyler Jury, (270) 766-7121.