ARCSTRONGFOUR raises over $10,000 for Arc of East Central Iowa

Tyler Smothers' fourth annual

 fundraiser, "

ARCSTRONGFOUR,"

was held at Clark Park in Hiawatha

on

Sept. 18

. All proceeds benefited the Arc of East Central Iowa, an agency that provides service and support to individuals with intellectual and developmental

disabilities and their families.

The event was to be held rain or shine,  Tyler got out of his wheelchair and  

rode his adapted bicycle in the on-

and-off

drizzle for 3.5 miles

. He was accompanied by

 many friends, family and community members. Those attending walked, rode their adapted bikes, wheelchairs or ran with him. It was an amazing show of support on a rather gloomy day.

The Hiawatha volunteer firefighters

brought out a truck for the kids to see and get pictures on, and even presented Tyler

, 27,

 with an official ARCSTRONGFOUR helmet and goggles.

Tyler's goal was to raise $8,

000 this year,

and currently he has raised more than $10,000

with the total continuing to climb.

Tyler

has raised more than

 $40,000 for The Arc

.

The week before his event, Tyler

received notice from Iowa football c

oach Kirk

Ferentz that he was donating an autographed football to be raffled off to help

The Arc

. Tickets

for the football

will be sold

until Oct. 14th,

when Tyler will draw the winner

. Tickets can be purchased from Tyler's family members or at T

he Arc of East Central Iowa office, 680 Second St. SE, Cedar Rapids

.

Below is

 the article submitted to Ability

Magazine's "Achieve With Us" contest, an Arc-sponsored

event to highlight an achievement of an individual with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the nation. Tyler's story, written by his older brother, Josh, was the winning entry among 119 applicants nationwide.  The Arc's national office is

sending Tyler and his mother, Cindy, to Washington D.C. in November to visit with his representatives in Congress and visit The Arc's national headquarters. Josh and

Tyler's

father, J.J., will be taking in the trip as well.

Tyler Smothers has never been one for hoarding the spotlight.Make no mistake about it: He won't shy away from any attention, but he'd rather share it with family and friends.Smothers' affinity for social gatherings is one of the main reasons an annual bike ride that raises funds for The Arc of East Central Iowa is welcoming other participants to ride, push, walk or jog around Clark Memorial Park in Hiawatha.“I had a blast during the first three rides, but I think more people should ride with me,” Smothers said of this year's ride, called ARCSTRONG4 and held Sept. 18. “This way maybe we can raise even more money for The Arc. That is the goal.”The Arc of East Central Iowa, which offers services in eight counties in Iowa, empowers people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to engage in lifelong opportunities to live, work and play in full inclusion in their communities.Smothers, 27, born with an Occipital Encephelocele and diagnosed with Arnold-Chiari malformation type III, came up with the idea for the fundraiser after the historic flooding of 2008 caused nearly $1 million in damage to The Arc's headquarters in downtown Cedar Rapids. His regular weekly programs at the building were put on hiatus as recovery efforts began, and Smothers wanted to help as soon as he could. The first fundraiser in the fall of 2008, called Tour de Flood, raised $20,000.And there was simply no stopping after that.Smothers has pedaled his adapted bike around Cedar Lake Trail in Cedar Rapids and Clark Memorial Park to the tune of more than $35,000 in three years. He's hoping the more Arc consumers who join him along the trail breeds the opportunity for more donations to help an agency that has helped him and his family for parts of three decades.“I think more people should have the opportunity to ride and to help The Arc,” Smothers said. “The more people who ride means we can make a bigger difference.”In between his practice runs for this year's event, Smothers has also been eagerly pitching the fundraiser to unsuspecting friends and even strangers.“He gets a little worked up when he talks about the ride,” said Smothers' mother, Cindy.With less than two months until ARCSTRONG4, Smothers is helping put the finishing touches on all the details.

Make no mistake about it: He won't shy away from any attention, but he'd rather share it with family and friends.

Smothers' affinity for social gatherings is one of the main reasons an annual bike ride that raises funds for The Arc of East Central Iowa is welcoming other participants to ride, push, walk or jog around Clark Memorial Park in Hiawatha.

“I had a blast during the first three rides, but I think more people should ride with me,” Smothers said of this year's ride, called ARCSTRONG4 and held Sept. 18. “This way maybe we can raise even more money for The Arc. That is the goal.”

The Arc of East Central Iowa, which offers services in eight counties in Iowa, empowers people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to engage in lifelong opportunities to live, work and play in full inclusion in their communities.

Smothers, 27, born with an Occipital Encephelocele and diagnosed with Arnold-Chiari malformation type III, came up with the idea for the fundraiser after the historic flooding of 2008 caused nearly $1 million in damage to The Arc's headquarters in downtown Cedar Rapids. His regular weekly programs at the building were put on hiatus as recovery efforts began, and Smothers wanted to help as soon as he could. The first fundraiser in the fall of 2008, called Tour de Flood, raised $20,000.

And there was simply no stopping after that.

Smothers has pedaled his adapted bike around Cedar Lake Trail in Cedar Rapids and Clark Memorial Park to the tune of more than $35,000 in three years. He's hoping the more Arc consumers who join him along the trail breeds the opportunity for more donations to help an agency that has helped him and his family for parts of three decades.

“I think more people should have the opportunity to ride and to help The Arc,” Smothers said. “The more people who ride means we can make a bigger difference.”

In between his practice runs for this year's event, Smothers has also been eagerly pitching the fundraiser to unsuspecting friends and even strangers.

“He gets a little worked up when he talks about the ride,” said Smothers' mother, Cindy.

With less than two months until ARCSTRONG4, Smothers is helping put the finishing touches on all the details.

But one key element has been his main goal from the start: The more Arc consumers in the spotlight that day, the merrier.