City of Effingham issued the following announcement on Sept. 28.
Gold Star 500 is an endurance cycling event which honors the service and sacrifice of 260+ service members from the state of Illinois who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On September 25, 2018, 36 veterans began a 500-mile journey through Southern Illinois starting and ending in Springfield, Illinois. This four-day event will take the cyclists through many of the southern communities where Our Fallen Heroes served and ending in Springfield with the Gold Star Mothers and Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. The purpose of this ride is to carry the torch of personal sacrifice in honor of these service members, to carry on their stories, their courage, and to honor the legacy of their names.
The ride will raise funds through generous donations providing scholarship opportunities to assist Gold Star family members and others in need.
Gold Star MissionMayor Jeff Bloemker was on hand to welcome the cyclists, families, and friends supporting this cause. A poignant moment for Mayor Bloemker was presenting a key to the City to Gold Star Mother Nita Cross who strives to keep alive the memory of her son Staff Sgt. Kyle Wehrly who died in Iraq in 2005. One Gold Star Mother stated, “Dying for freedom isn’t the worst thing that can happen. Being forgotten is.”
Original source can be found here.
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