10 | December 6, 2018 | The New Lenox Patriot NEWS newlenoxpatriot.com <strong>NL</strong> native plans second cross country ride to benefit veterans Sefcik aims to raise $50,000 to help wounded get active, involved again Amanda Villiger Assistant Editor New Lenox native Tracy Sefcik completed her crosscountry bike trip from California to Florida earlier this year and is already planning her next one. “Well, you know, I can’t just do this once. I’ve got to do it again, don’t I?” Sefcik said. “I guess it’s my calling.” During her first ride for charity, Sefcik raised more than $30,000 for the Gary Sinise Foundation in support of veterans. Her next endeavour is to raise $50,000 for a charity closer to home called the Oscar Mike Foundation. While the ride itself is still about two-and-a-half years down the road, Sefcik said it is important that she starts fundraising now so she can meet her goal. The fundraiser officially started Nov. 7 on her website www.crosscountrycyc le4vets.com. The day holds special meaning for Sefcik, a Navy veteran herself, because it is the anniversary of the day her uncle’s plane went down in Korea many years ago and he was determined to be Missing In Action. The Oscar Mike Foundation is located in Rockford, but serves veterans around the country through their programs, which are specifically aimed at getting wounded and disabled veterans active again through a variety of activities, including exercise, meal planning, flight lessons, shooting practice, kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing, horseback riding and skydiving. Participants are flown out to spend a week at the foundation’s compound, where Sefcik said the goal is to give them a new lease on life and a positive outlook for the future despite their limitations and injuries. “It’s just getting them back feeling like they’re alive again,” Sefcik said. “ ... A lot of people, when they come back from Afghanistan or war they don’t feel like they have anything left to live for.” She heard about the foundation through Facebook and said she knew very quickly that she wanted to do something to help out an organization located closer to home. What really inspired her though, was seeing their allveteran disabled rugby team in action. “I see some of these guys and they have no legs and one arm, and they’re out there in these wheelchairs banging into each other, and I’m like, ‘oh my gosh,’” she said. “But seeing these guys out there is truly amazing.” The name of the foundation is fitting because the term Oscar Mike is used by members of the military to mean “on the move,” with the letters “O” and “M” being Oscar and Mike in the NATO phonetic alphabet. In other words, keep moving. So to help them keep moving, that’s exactly what Sefcik will be doing on her planned 2,567 mile journey set to begin at the beginning of August 2021. Her path will take her from Lake Forest north through Wisconsin, Michigan and Canada, then down through New York state. She plans to be in New York City on the 20-year New Lenox native and Providence Catholic alumna Tracy Sefcik poses for a picture with Florida police officers who assisted her back in May when she completed her 3,000-mile bike ride to raise funds for veterans. Photos Submitted anniversary of 9/11, then continuing on through West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana before heading back to Chicago. When compared to her first trip, which took her 35 days to bike but was 500 miles longer, her 2021 trip will take her between 45 and 50 days to complete. Sefcik said her “other half,” Martin Conlon, is planning to join her along the way again for the next ride. For now, it is training, fundraising and a bit of recovery still from her last ride, which left her with a torn MCL and PCL after she took a fall on some railroad tracks. She will also need to save up some of her own money to cover her costs while on the road and her bills at home while she is gone. “A lot of people are like, ‘why are you trying to do this now?,’” Sefcik said. “People don’t realize it’s just me fundraising. “I’m trying to raise $50,000, and it takes a couple of years to do this. ...I’ve got to work two jobs because I have to save up money to pay my bills and my way across because I’m going to be out of work for three months.” During her trip from San Diego to St. Augustine, Florida, Sefcik said her trip expenses were nearly $7,000, and that was not including the money she had to save up to pay her mortgage and other bills while she was away. To learn more about the Oscar Mike Foundation, visit www.oscarmike.org. And to donate and for more information on Sefcik’s journey, visit www.cross countrycycle4vets.com. She also has a Facebook page, Crosscountrycycle4vets, where she chronicles her rides. Tracy Sefcik poses during a pit stop in Florida during last year’s 3,000-mile bike ride, which started in Texas.
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