Team Latham raises over $20K in The Gasp

The fundraising totals are in for the 2020 Virtual Gasp, and we are pleased to announce that over $20,000 was raised to support Latham’s Expanding our Circle capital campaign for the new Latham Community and Arts Center. This was our most successful “Gasp” fundraising event to date!

The virtual format allowed riders from out of state to participate. Barnstable Charitable Foundation, the event organizer, gave participants a week to ride the 55-mile Gasp. On the final day, Latham team members rode together to achieve their goals.

Latham “Big Wheels”: Rider Mark Burgess, who has participated in The Gasp for more than two decades, donated his COVID-relief stimulus check and encouraged his friends, colleagues, and family to do the same. Mark raised $6,150 and was one of three “Big Wheels” (riders who raised over $1,200) who rode for Latham Centers. Latham riders Jo-Ellen Erickson raised $2,875, and Chris Gillstrom raised $4,235, also earning the Big Wheel title.

All of us at Latham wish to thank our incredible team of riders and all donors who contributed to the success of this year’s ride. Thirteen-year-old Carly, the youngest rider to participate, shares her experience below – and encourages others to join Team Latham next year:

Biking with Latham Centers in The Gasp (by Carly Dinnan)

The Gasp is a fundraising bike ride that happens on Cape Cod every September, and I was able to have the amazing opportunity of biking with Team Latham this year! Although it wasn’t the same traditional Sandwich-to-Provincetown ride because of COVID-19 this year, our Latham “mini-ride” gave me something to look forward to. It was fun to challenge myself, and even though I doubted myself at first, in the end I was really proud.

The challenging part was half-way through our ride from Nickerson State Park to Wellfleet and back. I wasn’t feeling very well, but a sports drink and a power bar (and encouragement from my team) got me back on my bike headed for Brewster. The amazing part was getting to meet new people, spending a few hours doing what I love doing the most, and getting to just go! It was a way for me to clear my mind and de-stress; I didn’t have to focus on schoolwork, COVID-19, or anything that stressed me out. We rode together on a beautiful day, we raised funds for our favorite charity, and it was the highlight of this year!

For anyone thinking about signing up to be on Latham’s team next year, I would definitely recommend it. Imagine exploring the Cape in a way you may not have tried before, biking down the Cape Cod Rail Trail, feeling unstoppable, with the wind in your hair, smelling the outdoors and passing beautiful nature. If you can’t participate in the bike ride, you can help in other ways: make them posters and cheer them on, volunteer at a water station, or even donate! The funds raised by Team Latham go to the future Latham Community and Arts Center in Brewster, and it is such a good feeling to help!

Editor’s Note from Heather Kelsey, Director of Development: Thank you, Carly! We are so proud of you for participating and for persevering when the ride got hard. We hope to encourage many more young riders to join us for next year’s Gasp.

SAVE THE DATE:

THE GASP: BIKE, BOAT & BAKE 2021

Sunday, September 12, 2021

Pictured: Team Latham at the half-way mark of their September 20th ride; an image from the team’s fundraising page; and (from last year) Carly and friend Ellen help with the 2019 “The Gasp” sign and balloons in front of the future campus expansion / Community Center site.