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apy session,” O’Brien shared. “Mile by mile, you ride with a survivor and hear their story about their husband or about their dad or about their brother and how they’re dealing with it.”
This year’s ride is planned to cover 340 miles from July 15 to July 18. Participants will start in Alton, Illinois, and finish at the Chicago Police Memorial in the city. Rick Rivera, one of the original Cycle Across Illinois riders, is organizing the 16 Chicago Police Officers participating this year.
Rivera helped to grow the number of officers participating by speaking about Illinois C.O.P.S. at different districts’ morning, afternoon and night roll calls, as well as spreading the word at local churches and community centers.
“Many people don’t know anything about Illinois C.O.P.S.,” Rivera said. “I didn’t know anything about them until I saw them come in one year, and that’s when I got involved. I’ll keep doing it un- til my body doesn’t let me anymore.”
Riders typically have to raise $800 to participate in the event, and the funds are then donated to Illinois C.O.P.S. Or- tiz, chair of the Women’s Committee for the Department, knew from her own experience as a rider how difficult fund- raising can be for the officers.
She also knew that because of
Illinois Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) is hosting the 17th annual Cycle Across America.
COVID-19 restrictions, colleges were not able to donate dorm rooms for free sleeping accommodations, as they had in years past. Cycle Across Illinois need- ed additional funds to secure blocks of hotel rooms for participants through- out the four-day journey. The Women’s Committee decided to hold a fundraiser with all proceeds going to the cause.
“We wanted to do something that
would promote fraternalism,” Ortiz ex- plained. “[ The Women’s Committee] re- ally came through. I’m really proud of them. We had a short amount of time. They came through when it came to sell- ing tickets and donation of raffle items, and it really came together nicely.”
After less than five weeks of planning, the 15-person committee put together
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