Two ride to raise funds for enlisted

  • Published
  • By Janaé Daniels
  • AEDC/PA
Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn. --  Arnold Engineering Development Center's (AEDC) Chaplain (Capt.) Paul Gunn wanted to honor his late father-in-law, but wasn't sure how he wanted to do it. 

"I heard the Air Force Sergeants' Association [AFSA] was brainstorming about ideas for fundraisers for the local Arnold chapter," the chaplain explained. "I replied and said we should do a bike-a-thon and take donations to see how long the riders could ride. I decided I would do this in honor of my father-in-law who was an avid AFSA member and served his country and the Air Force for more than 20 years as an enlisted member." 

Master Sgt. Donna Paredez, Arnold's AFSA chapter president, agreed with the idea and recruited another rider, Senior Master Sgt. Curtis Allen. 

"It all started when Chaplain Gunn told Master Sgt. Paredez about the fund raiser he had done the year before and what a success it was," Sergeant Allen said. "So I was volunteered by Sergeant Paredez because she knew I was an avid cyclist and the only enlisted member who could pull off such a feat." 

They started at Gate 2 and began their journey at 6:30 a.m. Aug. 7. Each had a planned route to take, a supply and gear team and enough motivation to last for miles. 

They travelled through Manchester via state highway 41 until they hit state highway 53 north toward Woodbury. The duo then made their way to McMinnville via country roads and from McMinnville, through Hillsboro, around Woods Reservoir and then returning to the base. For Chaplain Gunn the ride was relaxing and he even took time to do some site seeing. 

"I just took my time," Chaplain Gunn said. "I stopped and ate lunch at Joe's in Woodbury and stopped several times to take a break and talk to people. I had a good time and would do it again in a heartbeat." 

Sergeant Allen was a man on a mission. 

"My total riding time was five hours and 43 minutes and I covered 100.43 miles," Sergeant Allen said. "I attribute that to the great support team I had with me; Master Sgt. Pat Lazarus and Tech. Sgt Jamie Johnson. They kept me topped off with water and food and on the right course." 

Even though it took Chaplain Gunn longer than Sergeant Allen to reach 100 miles, the competitiveness in Chaplain Gunn motivated him to go the extra mile and finish at 101 miles. 

"I think I finished around 8:30 p.m., which was approximately a 14-hour ride," the chaplain said. "But I couldn't resist getting in the one extra mile to compensate for Sergeant Allen's tremendous time." 

Sergeant Allen too said he would ride again for the cause. 

"I would definitely do it again and would like to get more people riding," he said. "AFSA supports a lot of the events we do here on base such as the VA picnic so it was a no brainer that the ride was for a good cause." 

According to Sergeant Paredez, this fundraiser saved the organization from doing what equals to more than 10 car wash fundraisers. Although all the funds are not collected yet, the pledges are worth approximately $2,600. 

"AFSA was trying to come up with some ideas to raise funds for the VA picnic coming up in October and various other base and local community initiatives we wanted to accomplish this calendar year," Sergeant Paredez said. "The entire AFSA Chapter 477 executive committee worked hard on drumming up support in the form of pledges for the riders." 

As the president, Sergeant Paredez was happy to participate. 

"My reward will be seeing the funds raised accomplish good things for Arnold," she said. 

Prior to the event, AFSA members took a vote on how the funds would be used and divided it into four activities. 

"First and foremost is the VA Picnic. Although a lot of the food that will be served at the picnic is donated by local businesses, we will pay for the side dishes, fuel for the boats and plan to provide a special take away gift for all the Veterans who attend. 

"Second, 25 percent of the funds from this ride will go to the AEDC Heritage Committee to assist with the purchase of a dedication plaque for the F-16 sitting outside Gate 2. Finally, money will be given to reward the outstanding performers at the annual awards banquet and, like last year, money will go to the annual AEDC Children's Christmas party and for the candy handed out at both Tullahoma and Manchester parades," Sergeant Paredez said. 

AFSA is a federally chartered veteran's organization that started in the spring of 1961. It is an international organization dedicated to speaking out on the behalf of the people behind the stripes and today with 130,000 members, AFSA has led the way on both Capitol Hill and the Pentagon and has earned the recognition and respect of Washington's leaders for its sustained role as the "Voice of the Enlisted." 

According to Sergeant Paredez, AFSA at the headquarters level advocates improved quality-of-life and economic fairness that will support the well-being of the AF enlisted personnel and their families. 

Locally, Arnold is AFSA Chapter 477 "The Volunteer Chapter," which is 128 members strong eight are Air Force enlisted and 120 are retirees from local towns around the base, many of which are either DoD civilians or ATA contractors. 

"We are focused on the quality of life for AEDC's 'Total Force' to include retirees and family members," Sergeant Paredez said.