I’m doing this again! Please help me raise funds for this amazing cause!
First I want to talk about why this is such an amazing thing and why I am training to do it again!
Concerns Of Police Survivors (C. O. P. S.) is an organization that helps the families of fallen police officers. Given the current climate right now I thought something positive will be a good thing. Last year, we were able to donate $40K to our local chapter of this organization! This money will help fund counseling, therapy, summer camps and other events for children and spouses who have lost their badge wearing loved ones.
So once again, I am participating in the Texas Peace Officer Memorial Ride! We ride bikes over long distances to honor fallen officers and their families. Before the event, we fundraise like crazy! We try to raise as much as we can for C.O. P. S. and then after the event, we drop our bikes and attend a very touching memorial at the Texas Peace Officer’s Memorial, which is on the Texas Capital lawn.
The first thing I did was register as a rider. Now that I have experienced this journey first hand, I am excited and ready to get into the mix all over again!
This memorial ride was put into motion to show our dedication to remembering and never forgetting our fallen brothers and sisters. This year, I will be riding to honor Brent Thompson of The Dart Police Department. I knew Brent for nearly 15 years before he was tragically taken from us in the Dallas ambush back in July. I will be assigned a metal bracelet called an Honor Band. This will have his information engraved on it so that I can look down and remember why I am pushing myself throughout the ride. Every time I get exhausted, I will look down and see the reason that I am doing this. It will be tough, but I will keep going.
“SHUT UP LEGS!”
Just like last year, but soooooo much closer to home… This honor band will remind me…
Last year, this helped keep me going when I wanted to drop to the side of the road. I thought about the family left behind when my buddy passed and how those loved ones would hurt so much longer and so much deeper than any muscle burn or residual soreness I could ever experience. When I returned, some other officers and I presented that fallen officer’s family with our honor bands and shoulder patches from our respective agencies. It was a very touching, intimate ceremony. You may read about it here if you wish.
The good news is that I have dropped a few pounds, I have INSANE cardio health now and I have learned a lot about myself.
Thanks to the kindness and generosity of a local bike enthusiast, I am on my way to outfitting, repainting and repairing a ten-year old road bike that will hopefully serve me well on my next tour. I recently confirmed that we will be cycling from Ft. Worth to Austin this year!
I am accepting donations via the Texas Peace Officer Memorial Ride webpage. At the lower right corner of the home page is a Paypal donation button. Follow that link and make sure to note my name in the “Notes/Memo” section. If you don’t know, my name is Dante Johnson. Nice to meet you!
Samuel Beckett once wrote “I can’t go on, I’ll go on.” I really appreciate the inspiration Sam.
The Grass Is Dead! 