Coming up Sunday, July 17th is an event that has become a staple in Philadelphia for the last 28 years, the Irish Pub Tour de Shore. The Tour de Shore was the creation when Mark O’Connor and Cathy Burke, owners of the Irish Pubs in Philadelphia and Atlantic City, were looking for a way to give back to the community.
The Tour de Shore is a 65-mile bike ride from the Irish Pub in Philadelphia finishing at the Irish Pub in Atlantic City, helping them find a way to connect the two Irish Pubs. Its purpose is to raise money for children in need and families of first responders in the Greater Philadelphia and South Jersey area. The bike ride started off with 20 riders and now this year they are expecting 2,500 riders, but they do their best to make the ride feel as personal as possible. About 50 percent of the people who ride in the Tour de Shore are police officers or firefighters and also people who are friends of families, who have lost someone in the line of duty. Some local celebrities who have ridden in the past and continue to support this event are: Gregg Murphy, part of the Phillies broadcast team rides in it every year, Deanna Durante of NBC 10 and CNN host Michael Smerconish.
Mark and Cathy’s goal this year is to raise one million dollars and you can help them out by going to irishpub.donor.drive.com to donate. You can also volunteer to help out at one of the rest stops along the bike route. This is something I’ve done in the past and it’s a great experience because you know you are working for a great cause.
The Irish Pub Tour de Shore continues to be an important event and it deserves as much support as you can give to it. So please donate to help them reach their goal of one million dollars and anything you can do for the cause is much appreciated.
