Gems of Hope announces events to help cancer patients

Gems of Hope, the local organization dedicated to supporting cancer patients and their families announces two upcoming fundraisers, beginning with a bike ride as part of the popular Houby Days.

Gems of Hope will sponsor the fund-raising bike ride on Sunday, May 20, beginning at Greene Square Park. Registration and check-in begin at 9:30 a.m. with the send-off scheduled for 10 a.m. Cost is $20 per person for a family of three or more, $25 for individual riders, and $35 for tandem entries.

The activity will feature two different routes along the Linn County Trails: a family ride will be a 3-mile route encircling Cedar Lake while an enthusiast route will be a 20-mile roundtrip to Ely. Riders on the route to Ely may choose to participate in a “poker run” with five stops along the way with the best hand receiving a prize basket at Parlor City at approximately 2:30 p.m.

In addition to Gems of Hope, sponsors are Mercy Medical Center, Hall Perrine Cancer Center, St. Luke's Cancer Center and Vision in Motion. To register, visit www.gemsofhope.com or www.getmeregistered.com or call 393-9681.

For golfers, the organization will sponsor its annual four-person best shot tournament on Saturday, July 14 with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. The tournament will be held at Wildcat Golf Course in Shellsburg. Cost is $60 per golfer or $240 per foursome, which includes 18 holes, cart and lunch. Various prizes will be awarded, including a hole-in-one car prize sponsored by McGrath Automotive.

Major sponsors for the Gems of Hope golf tournament are Mercy Medical Center, Hall Perrine Cancer Center, and the Helen G. Nassif Cancer Center

All proceeds will benefit Gems of Hope in service to cancer patients in the Cedar Rapids Area. To register, visit www.GetMeRegistered.com