100 Professionals Commit to 150-Mile Bike Tour to Raise Money for Camp Simcha, a Summer Camp for Sick Children

Real-Time Twitter Feeds will Follow Cyclists in 2nd Annual Bike4Chai to Support Chai Lifeline's Medically-Supervised Summer Camp. End Quote

Monmouth-Ocean, NJ (1888PressRelease) July 28, 2011 - One hundred elite cyclists will bicycle through New Jersey and New York in August in the 2nd Annual Bike4Chai to raise money for Camp Simcha, a medically-supervised overnight camp for seriously ill children. Real-time updates will be posted on Twitter from the 150-mile ride, which will begin August 3rd in Lakewood, N.J. and culminate on August 4th at Camp Simcha in Glen Spey, N.Y. The fund-raising bike tour is sponsored by Chai Lifeline, an international non-profit organization dedicated to meeting the non-medical needs of seriously ill children, their families and their communities.

Participating in the ride this year is a group of professionals primarily from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania whose goal is to top the $206,000 they raised last year, which allowed 40 children with cancer to attend the expensive summer camp tuition-free. This year's goal is $500,000. Last year, there were 40 cyclists. This year, 100 cyclists are registered to ride. Among the riders is Phillip Skaist, who rode last year and signed up again as a way to show his gratitude for the intensive support and assistance his family received from Chai Lifeline when his infant son was diagnosed with a rare liver tumor. Another rider, Rocky Rayman, agreed to ride on behalf of his wife, Miriam, a former Camp Simcha counselor who became very close to an 8-year-old camper, and wanted to do this in her honor. Also among the cyclists are three riders who are participating in honor of 76-year old Yakov Preuss who had been training for the Bike4Chai event before he was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver in an automobile. To make things even more exciting and keep supporters apprised of their progress, this year one or more riders will be tweeting their experience throughout the ride at twitter.com/chai_lifeline.

Every year, Camp Simcha provides a full array of traditional camp activities, from archery to water activities, along with special events such as helicopter rides and concerts, to 430 seriously ill children. A state-of-the-art medical center, dedicated medical team, and specially-trained counselors ensure that even children on chemotherapy can enjoy two weeks of uninterrupted fun. Campers return home enriched by their experiences, with happy memories and new friends to help them through the rough patches in their lives.

"The stories that campers and their families tell about Camp Simcha are truly inspiring," said Elliot S. Zaks, one of the riders who helps organize the ride and who is Director of Operations for Madison Commercial Real Estate Services (MCRES), based in Lakewood, NJ. "They are the motivation behind every mile we bike and every dollar we raise." In addition to having more participants, the tour's total number of miles has increased from 135 last year to 150 miles this year, although participants have the choice of riding 50, 75 or 100 miles on the first day.

This year's ride also has several corporate sponsors including The Berkeley, Asbury Park's premier boutique hotel offering guests modern luxury just steps from the famed boardwalk, which is where the cyclists will be staying the night of August 2nd prior to the ride. Other sponsors include: Senior Planning Services; Brielle Cyclery; Madison Commercial Real Estate Services; Star Pediatric Homecare Agency; South Shore Bicycle; Roy's, Brooklyn's oldest bike shop; Meridian Capital Group, LLC; New York Community Bancorp, Inc.; and MedWaste Management, LLC.

To learn more about Camp Simcha and its tuition-free summer programs, go to http://www.campsimcha.org./ To make a 100% tax-deductible donation to support the fund-raising bike ride, please go to http://www.chailifeline.org/events/Bike4Chai/go/elliot.

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