JoyRide Cycling to Host Fundraising Rides for Shatterproof

From JoyRide Studio: In the United States alone, alcohol and other drugs claim more than 135,000 lives every year, 350 every day, and 15 every hour, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. JoyRide Cycling + Fitness Studio will host a fundraising event in two of their Connecticut studios (Westport and Wilton) this Sunday, May 21 to raise money to support Shatterproof, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the devastation the disease of addiction causes families. Shatterproof works to end the stigma and foster a community of support for families by providing evidence-based resources to support prevention, treatment and recovery. Shatterproof also advocates for federal and state policy changes by supporting the development and implementation of evidence-based solutions for substance-use disorders.

Both the Westport ride, which will be led by JoyRide co-founder/co-owner Rhodie Lorenz (Westport, Conn.) and instructor Alison Vitolo (Bethel, Conn.), and the Wilton ride, to be led by Anne Stauff (Wilton, Conn.) and Jaime Falco (Ridgefield, Conn.), will be held simultaneously on Sunday, May 21 at 11 a.m. In the Westport studio, Riders will also have the opportunity to post stickers on Shatterproof’s pop-up Stigma Wall in memory or in honor of their loved ones affected by addiction.

“Addiction is a disease that shatters lives,” said Gary Mendell, the founder and CEO of Shatterproof and Easton resident. “Everyone’s support helps expand our efforts in the prevention, treatment, rescue and recovery of addiction. We are incredibly grateful to JoyRide’s commitment to our mission.”

Mendell founded Shatterproof to spare others the tragedy his family suffered with the loss of his son Brian to addiction in 2011. He is an experienced businessman and CEO, who founded HEI Hotels & Resorts and is the former president of Starwood Lodging Trust.

All donations will enable Shatterproof to develop and support effective, evidence-based prevention, treatment, rescue and recovery programs and significantly cut the number of those addicted, the number of people who die each year, and the exorbitant costs to society.

“We all have family members or friends affected by addiction, and we need to support them as they overcome the obstacles in their paths. We strongly believe we can make an impact by joining forces with Shatterproof for the third year in a row,” said Lorenz. “We hope this fundraiser will help break the stigma of addiction and bring us together as a community.”

To reserve a bike in one of these inspiring fundraising rides, please click the studio below. The suggested minimum donation is $40 per rider. Advanced sign-up is recommended because classes fill quickly. Following the rides, there will be silent auctions and light bites.

• JoyWestport with Alison Vitolo and JoyRide co-founder Rhodie Lorenz: joyridestudio.com/westport/events
• JoyWilton with Anne Stauff and Jaime Falco: joyridestudio.com/wilton/events

To make a donation in support, please visit: https://fundraise.shatterproof.org/Team/View/40095/JoyRide

For the past two years, JoyRide has also organized teams to rappel down a 21-story building in Stamford for Shatterproof. The next rappel is scheduled for Saturday, October 7 at Beacon Point in Stamford. To learn more about Shatterproof and how you can help, please visit: shatterproof.org

When JoyRide co-founders and Westport residents Amy Hochhauser and Rhodie Lorenz founded their first boutique indoor cycling studio nearly seven years ago, giving back and helping the community was a central component of their ethos. They have witnessed, first-hand, how fitness can transform people’s lives, whether it be improving their health, becoming stronger physically and emotionally or overcoming challenges on and off the bike. As they opened three additional studios around Connecticut, the joy grew: JoyRide has not only become a premier fitness destination in Westport, Darien, Wilton and Ridgefield, but it has also become a significant, entrenched part of the community, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for charitable causes and organizations that are close to riders’ hearts. Thanks to Lorenz’s and Hochhauser’s leadership, motivating and inspiring instructors, and a positive community of riders, the culture of JoyRide has become much more than fitness: it’s a culture of good health, paying it forward, supporting one another and spreading joy.

DETAILS

WHERE: JoyRide Westport — 1200 Post Road East (behind Crate & Barrel), Westport
JoyRide Wilton — 3 Godfrey Place, Wilton

WHEN: Sunday, May 21 at 11 a.m.

SIGN UP: JoyWestport with Alison Vitolo and JoyRide co-founder Rhodie Lorenz: joyridestudio.com/westport/events
JoyWilton with Anne Stauff and Jaime Falco: joyridestudio.com/wilton/events

DONATE: To make a donation in support, please visit: https://fundraise.shatterproof.org/Team/View/40095/JoyRide

For more information, class descriptions, instructor bios, blogs and reservations, please visit JoyRide’s web site at joyridestudio.com.

Social:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joyridecycling/
Twitter: @joyride_studio
Instagram: @joyridestudio
Snapchat: joyridecycling

Event Hashtag: #strongertogether

Photo courtesy of JoyRide