NDMA eighth grader Logan Currie, far right, with his sister, Reese, mom, Connie, and dad, Joe. Reese, who is a sixth grader at Notre Dame, helped pass out food and water to the cyclists at one of the stops during the 300-mile tour.
When asked why he would undergo such an event, Currie, who has been a Notre Dame student since kindergarten, said that the pain he went through was "nothing like the pain that the kids who are suffering go through every day with their diseases or illnesses."
Karen Davis, Make-A-Wish Michigan president & CEO, commented on the event: “As our largest fundraiser, WAM is a major component to helping us reach our goal of granting more than one wish per day. We are honored to have such tremendous support of our mission to grant wishes of children in Michigan with life-threatening medical conditions.”
Currie always has been a big help to his mom and dad through the years as they participated in many Make-A-Wish fundraising activities, including previous WAMs. According to his mom, Connie, Logan has been saying for quite awhile that he wanted to ride the 300 miles with them when he was old enough. "We told him we would possibly allow him to do it on a tandem when he turned 12," Connie said. "So sure enough, when he turned 12, he asked if he would be able to ride with us this year, but only if he could do it on his own bike, not on a tandem with one of us." And that's exactly what he did.
This year's three-day, 100-miles-a-day race took Logan, his family and 1,000 other cyclists from Traverse City to Big Rapids, then to Dewitt, and finally to Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. In total, the participants helped Make-A-Wish Michigan raise $2,033,585.
"We were extremely proud of Logan because he raised the money and then actually rode the entire 300 miles," Connie Currie said. "We kept telling him that there is no shame in utilizing a 'SAG' vehicle, which helps riders who cannot finish on their own, but Logan was very determined to be the youngest person to ever complete the entire 300 miles.
"He really showed what the mission of Notre Dame is all about by giving of himself in such a big way for Make-A-Wish and its special cause," Connie said.
Follow Notre Dame at @NDPMA.
About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.