2014 Race Across America's "Team Skipper" supports Teddy G. & AFSP Colorado Chapter!!

Dear Friends,

Some of you know me, some know a member of Team Skipper. My name is Carla Graubard. I’m a close friend of Gary Feldstein’s (pic above) and the Feldstein family and a board member of the AFSP CO Chapter. Gary (58) is one of the members of RAAM's "Team Skipper," with Team Captain Tim Skipper (57), John Quinones (58) and Lori Hoechlin (52). Team Skipper has graciously decided to ask its friends, family and fans to acknowledge their extraordinary efforts in the RAAM race by supporting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. This organization has a deep, personal connection to Team Skipper, the Feldstein family and our family.

What's the connection? Briefly ... Gary’s son, Simon, and my older son, Teddy G., were close, “tight” friends for more than 15 years, since the boys were in preschool. Through Simon and Teddy, our two families were blessed to become lifelong friends. This year, after Gary got involved in RAAM, he asked my younger son and me if “Team Skipper” could dedicate its 3,000 mile (!), 24/7 (!!) race this June to supporting the AFSP. Why AFSP? Because Teddy died tragically from impulsive suicide in 2009 when he was 17 years old and a bright, handsome, athletic high school junior. Since that time, we have all been supporters of AFSP’s work and its goal to live one day in “a world without suicide."

Your generous donations to AFSP will do SO MUCH MORE: recognize the extraordinary personal accomplishments of “Team Skipper,” honor Teddy’s memory and, most importantly, support the incredible work being done by the AFSP. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is the leading national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those impacted by suicide.

We will be deeply grateful for any donation you can make to acknowledge this awesome cycling team and support this incredible organization working from fact-based research and proven best practices to understand and prevent suicide.

With gratitude,

Team Skipper, the Graubard family, the Feldstein family and the AFSP CO Chapter xo

Ps. Gary’s son, Simon, and my younger son, Clay, will also be working for “Team Skipper” as members of the crew!

About AFSP and AFSP CO Chapter: http://www.afsp.org/ & http://www.afsp.org/colorado

About RAAM: www.raceacrossamerica.org

About TEAM SKIPPER: http://bit.ly/1tmCniZ

Watching the Race Across America, 2014: http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/userfiles/file/RAAM2014%20Picture(final).pdf

Videos about RAAM riders prep. & experince: 

http://www.ridefarther.com/index.php/riding-the-line

About Teddy G.'s suicide 

http://nymag.com/news/features/66285/

"Nothing great in this world has ever been accomplished without passion."                                          Christian Hebbel