FISHER HOUSE - HELPING MILITARY FAMILIES

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The third-annual Tour d’Hood on Saturday looks to continue to raise money for the Band of Angels, a non-profit organization that supports the Fisher House here at Fort Hood.

The president of Band of Angels, Julie Shenk, started the race in 2009 with the support of the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation and her husband Col. Mike Shenk, the president of Team Army Cycling. With her husband being such an avid cycler, she said the idea of creating a cycling event as a fund-raiser for her organization was a natural fit.

“They don’t always get the opportunity to come on Fort Hood,” Julie said of the cyclers. “So this way, they get to do a bike tour and get to see the Fisher House. They have (the race) set up so that they go past the different museums and the gyms, the big landmarks on Fort Hood.

“The Fisher House is open to wounded Soldiers and their families, free of charge,” Julie said of the Band of Angels’ contributions to the Fisher House, a home-away-from-home for families whose loved one is a patient at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, or other local hospitals. “A lot of times, they still need other stuff that the Army or the Fisher House can’t provide, and that’s where we come in.”

Isaac Howard, who has been the manager at the Fisher House for the past 11 years, said he is thankful for the assistance the Band of Angels has provided.

“We don’t receive any government funding or any funding from the hospital,” Howard said. “Band of Angels helps us out … with whatever we need.”

Julie said that she joined the Band of Angels because the organization seemed like a great fit for her.

“Having my husband deployed several times, and friends and colleagues that were wounded, made it a perfect choice to get involved in,” Julie said. “We have been fortunate to have had Mike return from each deployment healthy; so many of our servicemen do not get to come home that way.”

The race is free to riders, so support for the Band of Angels comes strictly through donations.

“Our first year, we had about 100 riders and took in a little over $1,000 between the event and our online donation system (www.active.com/donate/tourdhood),” Julie said. “Both the rider number and donations have gone up since then. We already have 150 riders pre-registered for this year, and we always have folks come and register the morning of the event. We are hoping for 200 riders this year.”

The Tour d’Hood offers two options for riders looking to participate in the race; a 50-mile challenge ride and also a 12-mile family course.

On-site registration opens at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, with the race set to start at 8 a.m. outside of the Abrams Physical Fitness Center.

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