It has long been a tenet of the craft beer industry that its members are a particularly philanthropic bunch. Maybe it is because the community is so tight-knit and more established breweries pitch in to help new breweries get up and started. Maybe it is because of the grassroots nature of the business. Or, maybe it is just that craft beer people have big hearts. No matter what the cause, it is a well-represented phenomenon and Longmont, Colo. stalwart Left Hand Brewing Company is carrying on the tradition.
Team Left Hand (TLH) is a cycling team that is participating in the Bike MS rides to help end Multiple Sclerosis. The team participates in three national rides, raising both money and awareness for the debilitating disease. This year will mark the seventh year the team has participated in the Bike MS ride in Colorado, its second in North Carolina and its debut in the Florida ride.
Team Left Hand consists of over 180 riders from across the U.S., who volunteer their time and effort to help the National MS Society fund research, advocate for change, and help people living with MS. The team’s inspiration lies in the friends & family afflicted by Multiple Sclerosis, motivating each member to work towards their personal goal of raising at least $1000 a year. To date the team has raised over $940,000 for the cause.
Carolyn Graham, District Manager and North Florida Brand Manager for Brown Distributing, the distributor that supplies Left Hand Brewing Company beers to Florida, will be participating in the Florida ride this year. In this, her third year of participating in the ride with TLH, Graham said, “I have family friends living with MS and I feel extremely blessed and honored to be able help people with MS and to raise awareness and funds for research. It’s an honor to be a part of this ride that provides support for the person living with MS and their families.”
She summed up her reasons for riding as, “I ride so that one day MS will one day stand for Mystery Solved.”
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease with symptoms ranging from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis, affecting 2.3 million people worldwide. Team Left Hand currently rides for 80 people, whose names are honored on the team’s jersey. As the list of names grows longer, TLH’s resolve to solve the MS mystery grows stronger.
The Florida Bike MS ride — Bike MS: PGA Tour Cycle to the Shore – takes place September 20 and 21. There are three routes that riders can choose from depending on their riding skill level. Details can be found on the National MS Society website or by clicking this link. More information about Team Left hand can be found at the Left Hand Brewing Company website or at this link.
The Jax Beer Guy has partnered with the UBER car service in Jacksonville. Because of this partnership, you can receive a $20 credit for your first ride by simply using the promo code “JaxBeerGuy” when you register for UBER on your smartphone.
Click HERE to sign up now!
