Milestones
This is the story of how a small grassroots effort turned into a $600,000+ success story in support of Cancer survivorship.
September 2006
Carol and Harold Asher, New Orleans residents, found out that their cousin, Josh Lipschutz, was diagnosed with malignant brain Cancer at the age of 36. Josh, a 1992 Tulane graduate and former New Orleans resident, was married less than a month to his wife, Abby, when he received this news. He valiantly battles this today with tremendous optimism and courage. Josh is the ultimate survivor. In his honor, the Ashers along with friends whose lives also had been touched by Cancer, Doug Thornton, Mickey Allweiss, Bill Schwartz and Jeff Meyers, organized the inaugural Tour de Lis.
April 2007
Harold Asher, Doug Thornton, Mickey Allweiss, Bill Schwartz and Chris Brewer from the Lance Armstrong Foundation rode eight hours and 150 miles through rain, sleet and hail around Lake Pontchartrain to kick off the first Tour de Lis. Friends and family pledged $40,000 in honor of this momentous ride to support Cancer survivorship. All proceeds from this fundraising effort were donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
April 2008
In an effort to draw attention to the beautiful lakefront of New Orleans, the first official community-wide Tour de Lis was launched with a 7-mile bike ride on Lakeshore Drive. Four hundred local and regional cyclists registered to participate. This grassroots campaign included people throughout the country whose family members or friends had been afflicted with this horrible disease. Led by Carol and Harold Asher, an unprecedented $165,000 was raised by a small group of New Orleans Cancer survivor advocates, including Kim Sport. The actual ride was cancelled due to inclement weather. Even with the cancellation, Tour de Lis was deemed a major financial success for Cancer survivorship.
Tour de Lis 2008 was able to award its first grants:
$75,000 to the Cancer Association of Greater New Orleans
$50,000 to the Lance Armstrong Foundation
$25,000 to Planet Cancer
Tour de Lis 2008 also announced its first Honorary Survivor Co-Chairs, Kim and Mike Sport. Kim is a three-time Cancer survivor and Mike is a prostate Cancer survivor.
April 2009
Tour de Lis saw partly sunny skies and even brighter results for the Cancer community. Six hundred cyclists rode the 7-mile loop on Lakeshore Drive, and organizers raised $196,000 to support survivors battling Cancer. Family and friends came out to enjoy the festivities, music, food, beer and camaraderie. Bill Oliver, President of AT&T Louisiana, and Cancer survivor served as the Honorary Survivor Chair.
Tour de Lis 2009 awarded the following grants:
$90,000 to Cancer Association of Greater New Orleans
$90,000 to the Lance Armstrong Foundation
May 2010
Tour de Lis moved to picturesque City Park, where the bike ride became a 3-mile loop, and a 5K Road Race was added for runners and walkers alike. Children were invited to participate in the 5K along with parents. The event became a truly family-friendly experience featuring an all-star band, great food, beer and entertainment. The number of participants grew to 650, and they all loved the new City Park route. Cleland Powell, Executive Vice President of Iberia Bank, and two time Cancer survivor served as the Honorary Survivor Chair of Tour de Lis. Over 1,000 people from across the nation donated and $196,000 was raised. The success of Tour de Lis 2010 demonstrated that an economic downturn would not stop Cancer survivor advocates from spreading their message of support.
Tour de Lis 2010 awarded the following grants:
$64,000 to Cancer Association of Greater New Orleans
$16,000 to the Al Copeland Foundation
$80,000 to the Lance Armstrong Foundation
April 2011
Tour de Lis raised over $300,000, topping our 2010 fundraising by $100,000!
Tour de Lis grew our registrants by 300: over 1,000 cyclists, runners and walkers registered to participate in our Cancer fighting efforts.
