Even the pouring rain outside, which forced a change of venue for the HALB Lev Chana Third Annual Lag BaOmer Bike-a-thon to the SKA gym, could not dampen the spirits and excitement of our determined bikers, as they donned their helmets and began pedaling their laps to raise money for FD NOW. FD NOW is an organization that supports groundbreaking research, as it desperately looks for better treatments and a cure for Familial Dysautonomia, a life-threatening neurological genetic disease prevalent in the Ashkenazi community.
Shouts of laughter, combined with the accompanying beat of the Simcha music, could be heard across the Hewlett Bay Park campus, as our four-year-old Nursery and Kindergarten children rode laps around the festive SKA gym, adorned with colorful flags, flashing traffic lights, and lane cones. This was a unique opportunity for our children and their families to put into practice what they had been learning since the beginning of the year, and especially during S’firah, the mitzvah of V’ahavta l’rei’acha kamocha. Families lent bicycles and four-wheelers for the day, and a steady stream of parent volunteers were on hand to give a helping push and steadying hand to the cycling children. Each biker received a medal of participation and the satisfaction of knowing that their efforts raised monies for FD NOW. Yasher Kochachem!