McGuireWoods is doing much more than putting its name behind next month’s American Diabetes Association Chicagoland Tour de Cure. Lawyers and staff from the firm will ride in the popular cycling event and provide support for a host of activities surrounding the major fundraiser.
For the fourth consecutive year, McGuireWoods will be a signature sponsor of the Chicagoland Tour de Cure, the fastest-growing of all the cycling events the ADA stages across the country to raise funds for diabetes research, education and advocacy.
“The Tour de Cure is an opportunity to show our commitment to our community and make a powerful statement about the need to find answers to a disease that touches millions of lives,” said George Spatz, captain of the McGuireWoods team and a member of the 2015 Tour de Cure Executive Committee. “I am proud that McGuireWoods is again serving as a signature sponsor of this important event.”
According to the ADA, 29.1 million people in the United States have diabetes and 1.7 million Americans age 20 years or older are newly diagnosed with the disease every year.
Spatz, a software and intellectual property litigator in the firm’s Chicago office, has firsthand experience with diabetes, which has motivated him to work toward finding a cure for the disease. Spatz has Type 1 diabetes and will wear a special “Red Rider” jersey reserved for Tour de Cure cyclists who have been diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
“We’re very proud of the support our lawyers and staff have given to the Tour de Cure in the past, and they’re doing a great job again this year,” said Amy Manning, managing partner of McGuireWoods’ Chicago office. “Their community spirit is inspiring and reflects the core values of McGuireWoods.”
Diagnosed with diabetes many years ago, Manning is a member of the ADA’s Chicago Community Leadership Board and served for two years as its chairman. She received the ADA’s Top Individual Fundraiser Award for the organization’s Chicago Step Out Walks in each of the past four years.
The 2015 Tour de Cure will begin at Two Brothers Roundhouse in Aurora, Illinois. The Chicagoland ride is part of a series of fundraising cycling events held in 44 states nationwide to benefit the ADA. The Tour is a ride, not a race, with routes designed for everyone from the occasional rider to the experienced cyclist. The 2015 Chicagoland tour will have routes ranging from 10 miles to 100 miles. For more information, visit tour.diabetes.org.
“The Tour de Cure has something to offer cyclists of all abilities—from families to the avid cyclist,” said Spatz, who will ride the 65-mile route and whose daughters participated last year on training wheels. “We’re hoping for another record-breaking turnout this year to build on the tremendous success we’ve had with the Tour de Cure here in Chicago.”
The 2014 Chicagoland Tour de Cure drew more than 1,200 riders and raised $714,666, a 39 percent increase over the previous year’s total. A McGuireWoods team of 25 riders and 15 event volunteers, comprised of lawyers, staff, family members and friends, raised more than $11,000 in last year’s event. The 2015 McGuireWoods team has already exceeded $9,000 and is on pace to surpass its team fundraising goal of $12,500.
In addition, members of the firm will participate in a number of Tour-related events, including a Champions dinner the night before the ride for cyclists who raise more than $1,000 and pre and post-race activities. Aiding McGuireWoods in its fundraising is the Association of Corporate Counsel, with at least three of its members riding in the McGuireWoods team.