Preston is a 16 year old young man with a smile that is absolutely contagious accented with an amazing sense of humor. Every day Preston wakes with a smile and huge hugs to share all while he struggles daily with Mitochondrial Disease, which leaves him with low muscle tone and developmental delays.

During the summer of 2011, Preston was blessed to have an adaptive bike donated to him through a fundraiser that was started by a family friend. His parents, Deb and Steve, were amazed by this unsolicited overwhelming support let alone elated by the precious smile on Preston’s face. From that point forward, Deb & Steve knew the only thing they wanted and needed to do was to “Pay IT Forward”.

In 2011, Preston’s March for Energy organization was created with this goal in mind – Raising money for more children of all abilities to realize their dream of riding their own bike. Each bike is specially adapted to the child’s abilities and bikes cost between $1,400 – $2,500. With the overwhelming need for adaptive recreational equipment for children with disabilities and the concern for childhood obesity, Preston’s March For Energy’s mission is to provide adaptive bikes to children with special needs.

Paying “IT” Forward

In the 3 1/2 years that Preston’s March For Energy has been incorporated(501 (3) (c)), 103 children in 15 states have been able to experience a bike and a smile to call their very own. What’s more, each of the 15 bikes has been hand delivered. At this time with 62 children on the waiting list in 14 different states plus 2 in London, Preston’s March for Energy continues their mission searching for ways to help fund these bikes and smiles!

Making “IT” Happen

While many individuals get involved and make donations, companies have also enjoyed the smiles and fulfillment of Paying “IT” Forward first hand and become sponsors. In June 2015, Preston’s March For Energy was awarded Winner of The Most Happening Charity category in North Delaware via NorthDelaWHEREHappening.com‘s 2nd Annual People’s Choice Happening List competition. Preston’s March for Energy was thrilled with the title. What’s better and was unbeknownst to us during the competition, during the Blue Carpet Happening List Awards Gala at the Newark Country Club on June 18th, NorthDelaWHEREHappening.com presented a $1,000 check to Preston’s March for Energy power funded by the Blue Carpet Bash event ticket sales, where $4 of every ticket sold was proudly donated to the organization. This will certainly help make more smiles! With the amazing support from organizations like NorthDelaWHEREHappening.com, upcoming special events and unveilings will deliver even more special smiles!

prestons march for energy Blue Carpet Bash Happlist Donation_sugarhill photography

Pictured from left to right: Tracy Zigman, Rose Buckley, Dave Mays, Andy Dowling, Steve Buenaga, Lisa Rakus, Greg Star, Julie Monaghan, Deb Buenaga, Suzy Casey, Danielle Allura, Lisa Ross, Travis Ross. Photo credit Sugarhill Inc Photography.

CORKS & COOKIES FUNDRAISER 10/23/15

Join Preston’s March for Energy at their next big fundraising event – Corks and Cookies on October 23rd from 6:30pm to 9:30pm at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts in Wilmington. This fun night includes wine, beer & spirit tastings by Moore’s Brothers, Kreston Liquor’s and 3rd Wave Brewery as well as a Cookie Extravaganza, created by LOCAL pastry chefs who will compete for the Top Cookie supremacy by display and tasting of their amazing cookies! Local celebrities will be judging the cookies for
Top cookie award. Be sure to bring your thirst for great wines, beer, and spirits and your appetite. There will also be a silent auction and bike presentation to one lucky child to top off the evening so all guests can witness their winning smile – which is Preston’s March for Energy’s mission!

CONNECT WITH PRESTON’S MARCH FOR ENERGY

Stay connected to see how Preston’s March for Energy continues to Pay It Forward, one bike at a time!

Online at www.prestonsmarch.org
Facebook at www.facebook.com/Prestons-March-For-Energy
YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcHmO9klwrk
Meet the board members, visit www.prestonsmarch.org/about-us

Remember the first time you rode your bike or the first time your child rode their bike? Some children may never have those memories. Preston’s March for Energy is hoping to change that! With your generous donation, they will be able to help make dreams a reality! To make a tax deductible donation to Preston’s March for Energy, visit www.prestonsmarch.org/make-a-donation

About Mitochondrial Disease

Mitochondrial disease or dysfunction is an energy production problem. Almost all cells in the body have mitochondria, which are tiny “power plants” that produce a body’s essential energy.

Mitochondrial disease means the power plants in cells don’t function properly. When that happens, some functions in the body don’t work normally. It’s as if the body has a power failure: there is a gradation of effects, like a ‘brown out’ or a ‘black out’.

Scientifically, it is actually a category or group of diseases. That’s why mitochondrial disease takes many different forms and no two people may look alike.

Source: www.mitochondrialdiseases.org/mitochondrial-disease

“As many as 2 million Americans suffer from mitochondrial disease. Doctors and researchers have identified hundreds of different subtypes of the disorder. What they all have in common is a malfunction of the mitochondria – tiny substructures, or organelles, found inside every cell in the body. Depending on which types of cells are affected, mitochondrial disease can cause muscle wasting, nerve damage, seizures, stroke, blindness, deafness and more.“As mitochondrial process food into energy, they create free radicals – highly reactive oxygen ions that can cause damage to proteins. Many experts believe that as cells age, this damage accumulates, weakening the mitochondria irrevocably and doing harm to specific organs – or, more generally, to the whole body.” Time Magazine, November 13, 2006, Michael D. Lemonick