Women on the northern part of Whidbey Island will soon be closer to mammogram services, thanks to hard work and strenuous play.
The work has been a fundraising effort by Soroptimists International of Oak Harbor, a service organization that is raising money to buy digital mammography equipment for Oak Harbor’s Whidbey General North, which includes the North Whidbey Community Clinic.
The playtime comes Sept. 27, when hundreds of bicyclists will pedal the island for the seventh annual Tour de Whidbey ride. Sponsored by the Whidbey General Hospital Foundation, this year’s ride will raise money to help purchase the mammography equipment for Oak Harbor.
Laura Blankenship, executive director of the Whidbey hospital foundation, said Friday she expects the ride to raise about $35,000. That’s a small slice of the $240,000 needed for new mammography equipment, but Blankenship said the Soroptimists group has already raised about $215,000 toward that goal.
Digital mammography is available now at Whidbey General Hospital in Coupeville, hospital spokeswoman Trish Rose said. “North Whidbey women have had to travel farther,” Rose said.
Blankenship said last year’s Tour de Whidbey drew 434 riders, who had the choice of 40-, 50- and 100-mile routes. Those rides begin and end at Greenbank Farm. The rides aren’t races, but they do cover challenging terrain.
“We get riders from all around the country. They consider this a world-class ride,” Rose said.
This year, there’s a new option for families and anyone else not interested in sharing the road with world-class riders.
“We’ve come up with a ride that’s just 10 miles, it leaves from Coupeville Elementary School,” Rose said. “I wish I wasn’t working. It sounds fun,” she added.
The flat 10-mile route will lead riders through scenic Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve prairie, offering farm and water views. Chili feeds are planned after the rides, one at Coupeville Elementary, the other at Greenbank Farm.
Also new this year, the Outdoors for All Foundation will be at Coupeville Elementary School with a fleet of adaptive bikes. Physical therapists from Whidbey General Hospital will help people with mobility problems or other disabilities try bike riding. “Folks can test adaptive bikes on the track, and see if riding is a possibility for them,” Rose said.
The Tour de Whidbey gets bigger every year, she said. “It’s a wonderful fundraiser and friend-raiser for Whidbey,” Rose said.
Reporter Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460 or muhlstein@heraldnet.com.
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