Seward-area resident John Moody represented Seward Rotary Club in Rotary District 5650's Polio Plus bike ride in June.
A local bike riding enthusiast, John Moody, volunteered to represent the Seward Rotary Club in the recent Rotary District 5650 “Polio Plus” Bike Ride in southeast Nebraska. The ride, which began and ended in Bellevue, involved a circular route through La Vista, Ralston, Boys Town, and Omaha, including through the Walnut Creek Recreation Area where John spotted a bald eagle while circling the lake.
There were a variety of routes for the ride offered, with the 42 mile ride being the longest and the one that John and eight others ventured to accomplish. John reported that the entire ride took him and his riding partner, a recent graduate of Concordia High School in Omaha, three hours to complete. The wind picked up at the end of the last 10 miles and it was a welcome tail wind to push him to the finish line!
The theme for the ride was “Rotary Rides for Polio Eradication!” – “End Polio Now!” and was sponsored by Rotary International’s District 5650 which covers central and eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.
As a result of the ride, thousands of dollars were raised to help fund the elimination of polio in the world through the “Polio Plus” campaign. Seward Rotary raised funds to support John in the ride and sponsored his ride as well. His total number of dollars raised for the ride are still being calculated.
“We were really proud of John and honored he would take time during his busy summer to give a day to Rotary and the promotion of our “Polio Plus” campaign,” commented Seward Rotary President Ben Spirk. “He was indeed, one of the leaders of the event and well represented our Seward Rotary Club and Seward as well, plus raised funds to eliminate Polio worldwide. We thank him for giving “Service Above Self!”