Hurwitz bikes to raise funds for deaf culture activities

President Hurwitz waves as he completes a 20-mile bike ride on May 7 to raise funds for the Laurent Clerc Cultural Fund of the Gallaudet University Alumni Association. (Photo by Quintin Smith)

President Hurwitz joined 50 other riders on a 20-mile bicycle ride on May 7, 2011, to raise funds for the Laurent Clerc Cultural Fund (LCCF) of the Gallaudet University Alumni Association (GUAA).  The ride participants included Gallaudet students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends. In partnership with the D.C.-area cycling group dVELO, ride organizers planned a route that began on the Gallaudet campus and then followed the Mount Vernon Trail to Alexandria, Va.,  passing the Capitol building, the National Mall, Smithsonian museums, the Tidal Basin, the Washington Monument, and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. The cadre of cyclists included six children who took in the scenery from trailers, bike seats, and tow bars affixed to the backs of bicycles.

At a pit stop overlooking the Potomac River in the Old Town area of Alexandria, the president's wife, Vicki Hurwitz, and other volunteers handed out snacks and drinks.

The event raised more than $1,400, said organizer Roberta Gage, an event planner in the Office of Public Relations and Marketing at the Clerc Center. The majority of the proceeds from the ride will support LCCF initiatives, which include a variety of projects and activities that lead to the cultural enrichment of deaf people. A portion of the funds will promote deaf cycling activities through the United States Deaf Cycling Association.

When the multigenerational group returned to Gallaudet, they received thanks from Executive Director of GUAA and Alumni Relations Sam Sonnenstrahl and from President Hurwitz himself. Reporting wobbly legs but a solid satisfaction with the day's events, Hurwitz told the riders: "I would love to see this happen every year, for as long as I am here."

See photos and video from the ride. To get involved with the next ride, contact Roberta Gage.

--Rhea Yablon Kennedy

Ralph Fernandez contributed to this article.