Steps for Stanley Cross Country Cycling Tour: 1,000 Miles!!!

Saturday, June 21, 2008

1,000 Miles!!!

Just a quick note to announce that we have officially reached Great Falls, Montana and therefore cycled over 1,000 miles from Florence! YAY!!!

Thank you for all of your support! Keep spreading the word about the cause... as outstanding a trip as this has become, that's not why we're out here. Make every step count!

5 comments:

Sue said...: WOW -- That is SO GREAT! You've done a quarter of the trip, and it sounds like it was an absolutely amazing journey for the first quarter. Keep up the good work . . . stay safe, take care of each other. Huge tons of love, hugs and prayers all around. Let us know about the No. Dakota drop as soon as possible.
SO PROUD OF ALL FOUR YOU GUYS!
SueBob; June 21, 2008 at 8:37 PM
Becky said...: Whoa....1000 miles...so proud of you guys. Stay safe, keep looking up. God is with you for sure.

Love and continued prayers

mamasieta ahlquist; June 22, 2008 at 10:23 PM
Cindy Bills said...: Hey! How cool is that, 1,000 miles already. What an amazing journey for you all. We are enjoying sharing a piece of it through your blog and photos. Thanks! And great work, mama duck Autumn, keeping the gang goin' even when you enter the "no man's land" of no cell phones, no internet, and loose horses. :); June 23, 2008 at 7:30 AM
Rantipole15 said...: Woohoo! Congratulations!; June 23, 2008 at 8:04 AM
Anna B said...: congrats guys! I love you!; June 23, 2008 at 8:49 AM

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Team Members!

In Honor
Beverly Totman
The Guinan Family
Joe Staten
The Linzey Family
Ini and Demetra Hazatones
Elizabeth Cox
The McGaffin Family
Joe Ahlquist
The Zorn Family
The Watts Family
Dr. Paul Zito
Kelly Ballentine
Jeanette Wilhelm
Margaret Strong
Patricia Miller
Hazel Tibbe
Phyllis Emlet
Michele LaBrie
Mark Gammarra
The Goodahl Family

In Memory
Catherine Otterson
Irene Trotskey
Stanley Emlet
Theresa LaBrie
Dawn Gaffka
Lee VanderArk
John Tibbe
Robert LaBrie Sr.
Jimmy Hunt
Leonard Ahlquist
Kent C. Nicodemus
Palmer C. Pontius
Maggie Smiley
Anna Jean Curry
George Strong
Kenneth Ameigh
Harold Emlet
Shirley Uber
Johnny Tinkler
Mr. Pennington
Steve Dalton
William R. Thompson
Col. Kenneth M. Patterson
Garry Stob
Grandpa Winter

These are the names as we have them, but new team members continue to come in so the list will continue to grow. If you have made a donation and we have misplaced (or misspelled) a name... PLEASE let us know! Each and every name is very important to us.

What is Steps for Stanley?

SFS is a non-profit endowment through the American Lung Association. The funds that are raised through this non-profit go specifically to research, awareness, and education about the debilitating effects of lung disease (for more information about lung disease, please see the links at the bottom of this blog.) In 2005, Stanley Emlet's third son Jonathan started Steps for Stanley in honor of his father, who had been fighting a losing battle against emphysema for 24 years. Jonathan demonstrated his passion for raising funds and awareness for the ALA by through hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2005. The hike ended climactically on top of Maine’s Mt. Katahdin, where he took a picture while holding a sign reading “Howdy Dad.” Stanley held on long enough to swell with pride at his son’s great accomplishment and gesture of love, but passed away six short months later. While the endowment is in his name and memory, Stanley's battle has ended and our efforts are now driven by the countless others who are still fighting.

Who is Stanley?

Stanley Emlet was born in Loysville, Pennsylvania in 1927. Stanley's mother was a teacher and his father helped run the family business. When Stan was 5 years old, his father died in a truck accident. At an early age Stan went to work for his uncles in the family chicken and egg business. When he was old enough he loved making journeys from Loysville to Philadelphia to deliver eggs and chickens for market. This simple, peaceful life was interrupted by World War II and Stan left school when he was 17 to join the Navy. He served with the SEABEES, seeing action in Saipan and Okinawa. He often reminisced about surviving kamikaze attacks, a typhoon, and being bitten by a tarantula. When the war ended, Stanley returned to Pennsylvania, earned a GED, and attended Shippensburg State College through the G.I. Bill. By 1958 Stan had moved to northwestern Pennsylvania and began teaching elementary school. He married his wife Phyllis with whom he had three sons. In 1982, just a year after the birth of his third son, Jonathan, Stan was diagnosed with emphysema after smoking for nearly 40 years. In hopes of living to see Jonathan graduate from high school, he quit cold turkey. Unfortunately, disease quickly became so debilitating that Stan was forced to retire the same year. Eventually the family moved to central Pennsylvania and Stan became a 'house father' to Jonathan while Phyllis worked for the Department of Transportation. Jonathan was 14 years old when it became necessary for Stan to go on oxygen therapy 24 hours a day. During the last few years of his life, Stan was house bound; only going out for doctor visits and hair cuts. Despite this he maintained a positive attitude. He enjoyed following current events, reading aviation and WWII magazines and the visits of family and friends. His main occupation was, as he put it, 'holding down his easy chair.'He did live to see Jonathan graduate from high school, even college. Sadly, on February, 27th 2006 Stan passed away from the complications of emphysema. He now lays at rest in the Evergreen Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Although Stanley is no longer with us, his memory lives on. You can be a part of his memory or a part of any one of the millions of Americans who have passed because of lung disease. You can also take part in shaping and improving the future for those who suffer from lung disease now. Every step counts, take yours!

Steps for Stanley Cross Country Cycling Tour

Saturday, June 21, 2008

1,000 Miles!!!

5 comments:

Team Members!

What is Steps for Stanley?

Who's on the team?

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Who is Stanley?

Stanley

Lung Cancer

Cystic Fibrosis

Bronchitis

Asthma

Emphysema