CycleBar in Huntington recently held a charity ride to benefit PinkAid, an individually-motivated support service for those impacted by Breast cancer.
Hosted by CycleBar Huntington owner Robert Hand, and his wife Laurie, the event brought out into a Saturday afternoon rain over thirty participants all with the common thread of most if not all having been touched in some way by this terrible illness. Long Island Press was the media sponsor; other sponsors included Bottle and Cases and Movement Minded.
Hand says that he and his wife are new to the community and when the opportunity arose to help PinkAid, it was a “hard yes” for them. “We absolutely love Huntington and we wanted to give back,” says Hand. “My wife’s brother actually went through Breast cancer and PinkAid is such a great organization because I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been affected in some way by this illness.”
PinkAid’s mission above all is to help Breast cancer patients and their families with essential household expenses and hands-on support. As PinkAid’s Long Island Advisory Council member and committee co-chair, Carolyn Kelly Walkin explains, when a patient is diagnosed with Breast cancer, they can no longer work and their lives are turned upside down where they don’t necessarily have the resources they had before their diagnosis. “PinkAid comes in to help individuals with the basics and expenses that come up that they wouldn’t have necessarily thought about, like prosthesis after surgery,” says Walkin. Walkin was also personally affected by Breast cancer as three of her siblings were struck by this illness as well. This is one of the many reasons why she believes PinkAid and what they offer is essential for those going through such a difficult time.
Founded in 2011 by Andrew Mitchell-Namdar, Amy Katz, Amy Gross and Renée Mandis, who all saw a void in what they refer to as providing “compassionate resources,” PinkAid was established on believing that outreach and education should be available to all, including screenings. The organization believes that everyone should have access to cancer recovery garments and cold cap therapy as well as wellness programs and counseling. PinkAid also believes in helping with what is often overlooked when patients are diagnosed with cancer, the cost of basic household essentials including rent, utilities, food, and transportation to treatment. PinkAid has now helped over 20,000 Breast cancer patients largely due to donations and events like CycleBar Huntington’s Charity Ride.
Participants in CycleBar Huntington’s event were requested to donate what they could and the cyclers were more than happy to contribute to this cause. CycleBar Huntington instructor, Catalina Lopez, at the start of the ride encouraged the riders to think of someone they were doing this ride for and to let this be an empowering event for all. “I’m excited to see everyone vibe out in the room and come together for a good cause,” says Lopez, who adds that she wants them to “ride for a reason,” for someone who they may know who went through a hardship and overcame it.
This was PinkAid committee member Beth Taylor’s first time at CycleBar Huntington and she said that this is a great cause to help people who may not have the money to pay their bills after being diagnosed. “I thought this was a great way for people to get together for PinkAid and get some energy out, and maybe shed some tears because this is a very emotional community,” says Taylor. She adds that it’s wonderful to be able to raise funds for the people who can’t exercise right now.
John Conlin of Northport does the cycle class every week but says he decided to come out to support a good cause and do this in memory of two family members of his who suffered from Breast cancer, and Dierdre Cunningham of Huntington says she decided to try cycling for the very first time through the motivation of a great cause.
100 percent of the proceeds from the CycleBar Huntington Charity Ride went directly to PinkAid.
To find out more about CycleBar Huntington and other causes they will be riding for, please visit their website at cyclebar.com/location/huntington, visit them on Instagram at CycleBarHuntington, or call their studio at 631-629-8300.
CycleBar Huntington is located at 839A New York Avenue in Huntington.
To find out more about PinkAid, their services and how you can get involved, please visit pinkaid.org.
