Every year since 2012, Mark Rutherford has the Bike MS Citrus Tour marked on his calendar. The locally-based handyman has a busy schedule on his plate, but the weekend he can hop on his bicycle and join over 1,000 riders for a fundraiser is always special to him.
This year, Rutherford, 55, and his team raised $29,534.25 for multiple sclerosis research — over $4,000 more than they’d hoped to raise and good for third among all teams.
Rutherford, an avid cyclist since 2007, completed his first Bike MS ride in 2008. He had been looking to get involved with a charity since 2007 and settled on MS when he’d heard about the bike ride.
“I wanted to do something,” Rutherford says. “I had heard about the Bike MS event, and I thought to myself, ‘You know, that’s something I can do.’ I felt like I was really contributing.”
At a yard sale to benefit MS research, he linked up with PANGO team leader Scott Seymour and ended up joining the group. PANGO, an acronym for “Positive Attitude Never Grows Old,” comprises 17 members, some of whom are living with MS. The team typically hosts skeet shoots and go-kart racing fundraisers to raise money for the ride, and Rutherford has been expanding his local network through social media to find donors.
After 2008, Rutherford’s trucking schedule kept him out of the event for three years. But he retired in 2012 and has since been able to join the ride on a regular basis. He rides on weekends, setting up courses that take him through Temple Terrace, along Knights Griffin Road and State Road 92.
For the Citrus Tour, Rutherford and the rest of the 100-mile riders started Saturday, May 2, at Fantasy of Flight, in Polk City, and biked 105.5 miles to the Caribe Royale resort in Orlando. The group traveled on back roads to get to their destination, making a big loop through Polk County before taking Ronald Reagan Parkway and Orange Blossom Trail to Orlando. On Sunday, the group took a 74-mile path back to Fantasy of Flight.
The tour also included 50- and 75-mile rides, as well as an additional 50-mile trail for Sunday’s ride home.
Bike MS raised $590,291 for MS research and support this year. While it didn’t make the $850,000 goal, Rutherford and his teammates are still pleased that people were able to come together and raise what is still a big chunk of money to help out.
Potential riders must raise at least $250 to be able to participate in the event, and Rutherford makes it a point to save enough money each year to meet that goal on his own. But he’s looking for more support in the Plant City area, having raised a total of $315 this year.
“I’d love to grow my contacts out here and raise a little more money,” he says.
He’s currently a member of Plant City’s BNI Goldmine chapter and wants to help the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World get more in touch with MS. To donate to his MS fundraising campaign, or to Team PANGO in general, visit NationalMSSociety.org/citrustour, click “Donate” at the top-right corner of the window and fill in the blanks.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
WHAT IS MS?
According to the Mayo Clinic, multiple sclerosis is a disease caused when the immune system attacks myelin, which protects the nerves from damage. It is believed to be an autoimmune disease, but that’s roughly all scientists know about its origins.
When the myelin is damaged, communication between the brain and body gets jumbled and the nerves deteriorate. Some patients even lose the ability to walk over time.
There is no cure, but treatment is able to slow disease progression.