On June 9th, Matt Sauri, owner of Wimmer Solutions and a member of EO Seattle for 5+ years, will begin a 95-day, 4200-mile journey across the United States on a bicycle.
The goal: raise money and awareness for the families of fallen soldiers. Go to www.teamjesse.org/ride to see the details about this great endeavor that Matt has taken on!
When asked to talk about his exciting philanthropic journey Matt had this to say:
“We have a ton of momentum at this point! There has even been some recent interest from media outlets, and a documentary crew will follow us the entire time which will make for some great candid moments! Once we depart on June 9th, I will be blogging regularly. My purpose for these 95 days is to make as much noise as possible in order to bring awareness to this cause. While it's true that I am ultimately here to support the Team Jesse Foundation, it all truly started for me when I saw that my friend, Kevin Mencio was planning to take on this great endeavor alone. I feel that he's done a lot already in serving his country and fellow man, and it felt right to jump in and help him. If you don't know his story you can drop his name into any search engine.
"For the past few months, I have been training very diligently; for the past 7 weeks or so it's been between 3 to 8 hours every day, seven days a week. Physically I'm feeling very confident that I'll be able to tackle this challenge and I am excited to say that Kevin can no longer leave me in his dust. We knocked out some steep grade interval training this last Saturday and let me tell you that this kind of training is sure to help if you're having a hard time falling asleep at night!
"Since getting involved, it has really hit me that this cause is very important and it needs much more attention than it gets. I believe it's a tragedy that so many kids have an unnecessarily difficult road ahead because their parent(s) made a huge sacrifice on our behalf. We know we can help even the score a little and that is what we aim to do.
"I am so thankful for all the support that we have already received around this mission. They say that 'it's all about the journey'…..and so, TO THE LIMIT OF OUR ABILITIES, we are going to journey across the US in passionate support of this cause!”
If you would like to follow, cheer on, and/or support Matt and Kevin in their commitment to this great undertaking please visit www.teamjesse.org/ride.
We could not be more proud to say that one of our very own has chosen to make such a commitment to the betterment of his community. Cheers Matt from EO SEATTLE……and ride on!
Further Details:
To further a mission for helping families of fallen soldiers and to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of September 11, 2001, US Army Veteran Kevin Mincio and Entrepreneur and Philanthropist Matt Sauri will cycle across America this summer:
§Complete 95 days / 4,200 miles
§Depart June 9, Jesse's birthday, from his gravesite in Santa Rosa, CA and finish at Ground Zero on September 11
§Visit children and families of fallen soldiers in communities along the route
§Stop at US Naval Academy, Arlington National Cemetery and Gettysburg Battlefields
All donations that are received during this event will provide education and support to families of fallen soldiers.
The initial education target will be to fund at least five college scholarships. Team Jesse will also partner with the Travis Manion Foundation (www.travismanion.com) to assist families of fallen heroes through programs, which are geared toward community service and leadership.
The History
September 11, 2001: Kevin watched as a Boeing 767 flew into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Just prior, it had been a typical morning for him, a Vice President at Goldman Sachs, the investment bank at which he had worked for nine years. Shortly thereafter Kevin enlisted in the United States Army as an infantryman eager to fight for his country.
2002 - 2006: During a combat infantry tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Kevin befriended Staff Sergeant Jesse Williams, a young, free-spirited kid from California. Before Jesse left for his second tour of duty, he asked Kevin to look after his infant daughter Amaya, in case he did not make it home.
April 8, 2007: SSG Jesse L. Williams, 25, of Santa Rosa, CA, died in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from small arms fire while conducting combat operations in Baqubah.
2007 - Present: Initially, Kevin focused efforts on ensuring Amaya’s financial future. Inspired to do more, he co-founded The Team Jesse Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, in the Fall of 2010.
