News
It’s time to gear up and get pedaling for the 9th Annual St. Luke’s Charity Bike Ride.
WHAT: St. Luke’s 9th Annual Charity Bike Ride
WHEN: Saturday June 1, 2019 at 10am (Registration 8:30 to 9:45 am)
WHERE: Lehighton Trailhead, 200 North Main Lane, Lehighton, PA 18235
Registration can be completed online at http://vna.slhn.org/about-us/events/annual-bike-ride or from 8:30 to 9:45 am on the day of the event at the Lehighton Trailhead at 200 North Main Lane in Lehighton. The entry fee is $40, which includes a participation bag, performance T-shirt and, if needed, a bike or helmet loan from Pocono Biking. All proceeds benefit the St. Luke’s Hospice program.
“The Hospice Bike Ride provides a fun and healthy way to honor those who have passed,” says Michelle Udicious RN, BSN, St. Luke's Director of Community Outreach, Home Health & Hospice.
“Over the years, we have had family and friends wear special T-shirts they had made with names and photos of their loved ones. Every year we are delighted by the new and old stories people share with us and each other.”
Bike enthusiasts of all ability levels can participate in either the 20- or 30-mile trail ride. Udicious says the riders begin the trail ride passing a field lined with memorial signs featuring names of their loved ones who have passed. Riders often gather around the signs for a photo op.
“The Bike Ride has an uplifting atmosphere, while stories are shared, and lives are honored and remembered,” she explains.
From south of Jim Thorpe, the rides traverse along riverbeds and the canal towpath, as well as some paved sections. The riders will see museums, the Appalachian Trail crossing, an environmental center and beautiful views of the Blue Mountains, Appalachian Trail and Lehigh Gap.
Volunteers will hand out snacks and drinks at the turnaround points. A full lunch awaits the riders as they return to the Lehighton Trailhead at the end of the ride.
“Bikes of all kinds - tandem two-seaters, fat-tire bikes, bikes with pet trailers and recumbent three-wheelers to name a few - make an appearance,” Udicious says
“Riders also have the chance to win wonderful raffle prizes donated by local businesses. It is a family friendly day to enjoy cycling the scenic D&L trail, good food and great company.”
The St. Luke’s Charity Bike Ride is an approved event of St. Luke’s “Get Your Tail on the Trail” program.
Sponsors for this year's ride include Service Electric, Computer Aid Inc., Embassy Bank, Country Meadows Retirement Communities, Valley-Wide Signs, Metz Culinary Management, Primo Produce, Nestle Water, Discount Grocery Outlet, Fellowship Community and Wegmans.
“Having fundraisers such as this bike ride allows us to continue to add to our program and invest into the lives of future patients and families,” Udicious says. “Because of our generous sponsors, 100 percent of the registration fee will go directly to help our patients and families.”
About St. Luke’s
Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 15,000 employees providing services at 10 hospitals and over 320 outpatient sites. With annual net revenue greater than $2 billion, the Network’s service area includes 10 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe and Schuylkill counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke’s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania. In partnership with Temple University, St. Luke’s created the Lehigh Valley’s first and only regional medical school campus. It also operates the nation’s longest continuously operating School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 28 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with 226 residents and fellows. St. Luke’s is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system with Medicare’s five- and four-star ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction. St. Luke’s is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital and a Newsweek World’s Best Hospital. In 2019, three of IBM Watson Health’s 100 Top Hospitals were St. Luke’s hospitals. St. Luke’s University Hospital has earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from IBM Watson Health seven times total and five years in a row. St. Luke’s has also been cited by IBM Watson Health as a 50 Top Cardiovascular Program. Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN’s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information. St. Luke’s is also recognized as one of the state’s lowest cost providers.
