In 2006, on a hot July morning in Georgia, Mac Brown and Brad Zwigart set off on bicycles to fulfill a mission on the Silver Comet trail. They planned to ride almost 200 miles to raise money for City of Hope Cancer Center. The two are employed by S.P. Richards Company, and they had learned of the life-saving research and patient care provided by City of Hope when S.P. Richards’s Chairman and CEO, Wayne Beacham, was named City of Hope’s Spirit of Life Honoree for 2005. The company had always supported industry fundraising events for City of Hope, but in 2005, everyone in the organization was involved in the campaign to help reach a goal of more than five million dollars. Brad and Mac decided they didn’t want their involvement to end when the 2005 campaign ended. Thus was born the idea of a bike ride.  

Mac and Brad raised $7,500 with their ride in 2006. For 2007, S.P. Richards Company decided to build on their success and invite others to joint them for a day of cycling and family fun and raised over $40,000. They hope to build on the success of last year in 2008.