Fort Meade Florida – Our 2015 Ride will be dedicated to ten Fallen Heroes from Florida, who died in the line of duty in 2014. Our team of (30) riders and (15) support members will honor them by cycling through the state of Florida in 8 days, covering over 650 miles and average 80 to 100 miles a day.
The ride will begin in North Naples, FL on June 6th, traveling to North Port, Tarpon Springs, Brooksville, Orlando, Palm Coast, Jacksonville, Live Oak and end in Tallahassee, FL on June 13th. The Brotherhood Ride organization consists of Firefighters, Police Officers and EMS personnel who ride bicycles to honor emergency responders who died in the line of duty.
Their mission is to provide emotional and financial support to the families on or near the anniversary of their death. Over the past seven years we have honored the memory and sacrifice of a total of 468 First Responders which includes; firefighters, law enforcement officers and emergency medical personnel. Our team has traveled on bicycles over 5,700 miles, through sixteen states and have been hosted and assisted by over forty Elks Lodges nationwide. Through year-round fundraising efforts, the Brotherhood Ride has been able to honor the memory of fallen heroes and provide emotional and financial support to their families.
Past Brotherhood Rides include cycling to Charleston, SC in 2008; Florida in 2009; Houston, TX in 2010; New York City (Ground Zero) in 2011; Florida in 2012; Tennessee in 2013 and Florida & Texas in 2014. In the past seven years we are very proud to have donated over $248,000.00 to the families left behind. The Brotherhood Ride is a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity organization . Other than the cost of conducting the rides, all donated proceeds go directly to the beneficiaries designated. No one is compensated for their time in order to maximize the impact of donations.
The 2015 Ride will be dedicated to our ten fallen heroes from Florida.
Officer Robert G. German
Windermere Police Department
Lt. Homer “J.R.” Harrell
Orange City Fire Department
Officer Charles Kondek
Tarpon Springs Police Department
Officer Mark H. Larson
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
Lt. Jeffrey B. Newland
North Port Fire Rescue
Deputy Jonathan Scott Pine
Orange County Sheriff’s Office
Trooper Chelsea Richard
Deputy Christopher Smith
Leon County Sheriff’s Office
Assistant Chief Roger D. Tome
Kennedy Space Center Fire and Rescue
K9 Baron
St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office
En route, 30 riders and their support team of 15: will average 80–100 miles a days, will meet with local fire departments and law enforcement agencies to show the spirit of Brotherhood. This year, the ride will make overnight stops in North Port, Tarpon Springs, Brooksville, Orlando, Palm Coast, Jacksonville, Live Oak and Tallahassee. Using “SPOT”, a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) a link is established on the website (www.brotherhoodride.com) that is following the procession of cyclist in real time as they make their trek heading north.
Fort Meade resident and Brotherhood ride member, Bobby Respress and his wife Lisa will be participating in this years event. If you would like to support them in any way you can visit their fundraising page at http://www.active.com/donate/BrotherhoodRide2015/BobbyRespress
*** All information within this article is courtesy of Brotherhood Ride Website as well as members***
Ft. Meade Daily News 