Claire’s Place Foundation Hosts 7th Annual Glow Ride

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Bike, skate, walk and get your glow on to raise money for Claire’s Place Foundation. The 7th annual Glow Ride for Cystic Fibrosis will take place on Saturday, August 21, at 5:30 p.m.

After having to pause the Glow Ride last year due to the pandemic, the foundation
will once again gather the community and supporters to light up the night. Starting
at the California Hermosa Beach pier and riding to the Manhattan Beach pier and back,
participants decorate their bikes and themselves with whimsical glowing lights to raise
awareness for CF.

“Since my daughter Claire’s passing, we have been working hard to carry on her legacy,
her foundation,” Claire’s Place Foundation Executive Director Melissa Yeager said in a stat4ement.“Each year, and particularly during the pandemic, the number of requests from young CF patients and their parents, desperately seeking assistance with their bills, have increased.
Our Glow Ride event is vital to raising funds to help these families. Claire would be
absolutely thrilled to know that we continue to get our glow on!”

This year’s event ambassador is CF patient Massimo Armato, the six-year-old son of Stacey Armato, the former mayor of Hermosa Beach and current city council member.

"We are a small, local, grassroots organization that was founded by my late daughter, Claire Wineland, when she was just 13 years old in 2011," Yeager told Patch. "Claire was inspired to start this foundation to be a support network for other families and young adults living with cystic fibrosis (CF) but felt strongly about doing things a bit differently than other larger organizations.

"What she really wanted was to build a community that cared about the struggles that come with this disease and were inspired to make a difference. As a teen, the thought of lighting up the night to raise awareness in her hometown sounded like the perfect event, something that might someday become an annual event and bring the families and members of the South Bay together for a united cause."

The first glow ride for CF took place in 2014. "It was a magical experience," Yeager said. "Not only were we able to raise much-needed funds and awareness, we were also able to make meaningful connections with our local friends and businesses."

Each year since, the Glow Ride has gotten bigger and made more of an impact, according to Yeager. This year's goal is to raise $40,000 "due to the increased need in our community during COVID."

The short 3.4-mile roundtrip ride will make a big scene on the California Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach Piers; and make an even bigger impact on families with CF struggling to make ends meet while dealing with extended hospital stays.

The Glow Ride also offers a virtual option. Communities across the globe can join together and fundraise in their own neighborhoods, on their own decorated bikes.

Register online and then after checkout select "start my team.”

Glow Ride tickets are $45 and include a Glow Ride t-shirt and raffle ticket for a chance to win a beach cruiser from Hermosa Cyclery. Hermosa Cyclery will also provide free rental bikes to Glow Ride participants. All details can be found here.

About Claire’s Place Foundation, Inc.

The 2021 Annual Glow Ride celebrates ten years of Claire’s Place Foundation and welcomes NorthStar Moving Company, Marlin Equity Partners, Athens Services Hermosa Cyclery, Firstline Home Loans, Topo Chico, UCLA Health, Redondo Mitsubishi and Manhattan Dermatology as this year’s event sponsors. The Glow Ride raises funds specifically to support the Claire’s Place Foundation Extended Hospital Stay Grant Program. This program funds the essential living expenses for individuals and families living with CF during extended hospital stays.