raises over $48,000 and heads up new organization to help those battling cancer
By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN
Cancer sucks, something Nokomis resident Kari Kehr, 43, knows firsthand after losing her grandfather and two close friends to it. She has watched countless others, including her mother, battle it.
When Cathy Thyen, her roommate of eight years, and Best Buy co-worker died of a rare form of cancer in February 2009, Kehr pledged to ride her bike in the Austin Ride for the Roses/LIVESTRONG Challenge later that year. For Cathy. The two women had talked about doing it together, but time ran out for Cathy.
It wasn’t the first time Kehr had done something extraordinary to fight cancer. She went out to Boston to walk in the 3-Day for breast cancer research, and then walked three more times when the event came to the Twin Cities. The LIVESTRONG Challenge was her first long distance bike ride. “I’m not a biker,” Kehr said. “I’m doing this to fight cancer.”
That first year, Kehr raised $8,100. She and a friend biked 65 miles through Texas and went 3,300 feet in climbing elevation. She was honored with the LIVESTRONG Challenge Award recognizing her courage, perseverance, hope and “Warrior Spirit” through Cathy’s illness. When she learned of the award, “I was stunned and blown away,” Kehr recalled. “It was the best compliment I’d ever received.”
As she accepted the award, Kehr told those gathered in Austin: “I do believe that one person can make a difference and no effort is too small.”
When she sat down, things had changed for Kehr. She told the others at her table that it was the start of something big. Three years later, that desire to do more led to the creation of a non-profit.
“That feeling of helplessness when someone is diagnosed, that’s what drives me,” Kehr explained. She estimates that 60 to 70% of the people she knows have lost a loved one to cancer.
Kehr returned to the Ride for the Roses/LIVESTRONG again in 2010 and 2011, raising $20,000 each year for the cause. Her team, Girls for a Cure, has continued to grow each year and is made up of bikers (of both sexes) from around the United States. She is flabbergasted she was able to raise so much two years running, and credits her amazing donors.
One of the ways she raised money until recently was by selling “Cancer Sucks” t-shirts. The shirts were first made for a benefit for Cathy. Kehr (who is known as the Cancer Sucks girl in LIVESTRONG circles) estimates that over the past few years she has sold 800 to people around the world, mostly via Facebook. It helped when both Lance Armstrong and the CEO of LIVESTRONG wore the shirt. Regrettably, Kehr learned this summer that “Cancer Sucks” is trademarked, and she has discontinued selling the t-shirts.
People tell her all the time that they couldn’t do what she does, they couldn’t ride 65 miles through hilly country in one day. “That’s okay,” Kehr tells them, “because I need your money. I need people to support me.”
She enjoys how biking gives her time to think without distractions. “There is a healing process when you bike,” Kehr said.
Girls For A Cure
Girls for a Cure (GFAC) received its 501c3 status in August. The organization aims to help people in Minnesota with all types of cancers. While the details are still being smoothed out and it will be about another year before any grants are made, Kehr envisions paying for prescription medicines and medical bills. Kehr knows there are people out there questioning whether to pay their mortgage or their medical bill.
She uses Cathy as her litmus test. Cathy would never have applied for assistance. So Girls for a Cure intends to reach out to others who know about those in need in order to pull them in.
Kehr and the board members of GFAC want to partner with other organizations that provide cancer education and resources by raising awareness and financial support. “I’m not trying to rebuild the wheel,” Kehr noted. “There’s a lot of little things people do and we want to pull all that stuff together.”
They are working to solicit sponsorships from businesses and sports teams, as well as individuals.
Kehr has been amazed how people have rallied around GFAC. “It’s overwhelming some days and it’s humbling. It totally energizes me,” she said.
Find out more about Girls for a Cure at www.girlsforacure.org or on the Facebook page.
This story appeared in the December 2011 edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger. Click here.
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