Embarking on a journey

In the seemingly never-ending battle to stop cancer, we’re blessed with individuals determined to give it their all to raise money for cancer research and to cure this horrible disease. Tommy Vinyard, a 2009 graduate of Gonzales High School, has joined in the fight against cancer by embarking on a challenging summer bicycling venture.

Vinyard, a sophomore at the University of Texas in Austin, is a member of the Texas 4000, which is a group of some 46 college students who will ride bicycles from Austin to Anchorage to raise money for cancer research, specifically M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Their journey will start in June and culminate in August.

“This is the eighth year of the event,” said Vinyard. “Over the organization’s history, we’ve raised upwards of 2.5 million dollars. M.D. Anderson is a state-of-the-art facility, and we get to visit with the patients a couple of times a year. It’s really rewarding to see these people get the treatment they need, and to know that the money we’ve raised is going to such a good cause.”

“This year we’ll leave on June 4,” said Vinyard. “But before our departure, each person has to have raised a minimum of $4,500. We’ve been working on fund-raising ideas, which involve contacting everyone we know and trying to get them to donate.” Vinyard also noted that the ride concludes on August 13, spanning a distance of 4,687 miles.

There are a total of 46 members who participate, and they are split into two teams of 23 each. “The teams will start the ride together in Austin, and separate on day 2,” noted Vinyard. “One team will cut up northwards through the Rocky Mountains, and the other will head west through the Sonoran Desert in Arizona before angling up the California coastline.”

“We have finance committees, fund-raising committees, fitness committees, travel committees, and these are entirely student-run organizations,” said Vinyard. “Before we leave for the summer, we call our stops along the way ahead of time to arrange for a place to spend the night. These include such places as churches, community centers, or even people’s houses. This saves money on motels, and is all the more money that goes to cancer research.”

“Last year, 89 percent of the total funds we raised went to cancer research,” noted Vinyard. “Thanks to all the kind people who helped us with a place to stay, only a minimal amount of proceeds had to be used by the team.”

Everyone has some kind of connection to cancer, whether they have a friend or relative with the disease or are battling it personally. “My mother is a cancer survivor,” noted Vinyard. “I think everybody knows at least one person who has had it. When we’re on this ride, we will think of others when they are having a tough day and pray they think of us in the hopes of inspiring each other to live on.”

For more information on Tommy and the Texas 4000, check out their website at texas4000.org.