Commissioner Rolls Ride for Charity

Correction: The charity event will take place Friday, but Green Hopper will still provide rides at the Rosemary Rising Holiday Walk.

Hey, Commissioner, can I get a ride?

Folks strolling downtown on First Friday might find themselves asking that question to City Commissioner Paul Caragiulo.

The commissioner will be a "celebrity driver" for The Green Hopper at the event, where 100 percent of the tips will go to Caragiulo's charity of choice: Wobbly Feet Foundation.

The Bradenton-based charity's mission is to support research for a cure to Ataxia Telangiectasia, a rare neurodegenerative childhood disease.

Caragiulo's college friend's son, Conner, has A-T.

"Any effort to raise awareness I take advantage of because it's not very well known," he said.

Only about 500 children are diagnosed with A-T, and this past year 10 kids under 20 years old died from A-T, said Samantha Dzembo, founder of Wobbly Feet.

Because the disease is so rare, large pharmaceutical companies can't see how they can profit from a treatment, so they don't invest in finding a cure, she said. All money raised for A-T research has been through the help of parents.

This opportunity seemed to be a good fit to get that charity out there, Caragiulo said.

How do you get Caragiulo to take you for a ride?

1. Call The Green Hopper, at 1-877-323-7238, on Friday between 5 and 8 p.m. to see where the commissioner is hanging out.

2. Request a pickup from Caragiulo anywhere in The Green Hopper's Downtown service area.

3. Be ready for Commissioner Caragiulo to take you anywhere in the Downtown service area, which is bounded by Boulevard of the Arts and Hillview.

The commissioner said his driving should be OK.

"I had one training session," he told Patch.

Caragiulo, who's in the restaurant industry, added he should be fine getting people to tip well.

"I come from a line of work that I'm normally effective in figuring that out," he said. "So I won't relinquish my secrets."

This will be Green Hopper's first time doing a charity ride, and the owner hopes this can be done each month.

"We started this business as a community business, and I thought it was a great idea for Sarasota and to practice sustainability with all the tourism around here," owner Brianna O'Brian told Patch. "It's really good to be able to give back."

Wobbly Feet has raised $70,000 since being established and has funded three medical research projects towards a treatment(s) for the life threatening effects of A-T including respiratory complications similar to that seen in Cystic Fibrosis and neuro-degeneration, according to figures provided by the foundation.

Wobbly Feet plans to raise additional $50,000 in 2012 and further fund research towards treatments to pro-long the life and/or improve the quality of life of A-T children.