HERO Ride For Life

As a freshman in high school I enrolled in a service learning class called EAST (Environmental and Spatial Technology) in which students develop projects to solve problems in their community. I wanted to develop a project that would raise money for cancer research and local cancer patient support services. I founded an equestrian relay fundraiser called HERO Ride For Life, a relay event on horseback similar to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. It took months of planning, meetings with organizations key to my project, and with help from my high school EAST lab and my community the first HERO Ride For Life was held in June, 2005. The event has been held annually since then and in five years has raised over $76,000 for cancer research and support services. My goal has been to form a nonprofit and spread my HERO Ride For Life event nationwide and as of January 2010 my project is an official nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization called Hope Equestrian Relay Organization, Inc. To date there have been other HERO Ride For Life events in other communities in both California and Arkansas and my goal is to have one or more in every state!