CLEVELAND — Ten years ago, Stewart Kohl had an idea -- it was one that combined two important parts of his life.
"From my earliest days, I remember the bike being a means of mobility, but really a means for exploring the world and for freedom," Kohl recalled in a recent interview with 3News anchor Maureen Kyle. "But the real driver here, of course, is cancer, and sadly, tragically, almost all of us have been, again, clobbered by cancer. For me, it was a mother and numerous family members, most importantly. And recently, my brother [Philip] who passed much too young from a very cruel form of cancer, glioblastoma."
As Co-CEO of The Riverside Company and a member of the board of directors at the Cleveland Clinic, Kohl realized there was a way to take action.
"There were a number of us who were familiar with these things called 'thons,'" said Kohl. "That's where we have typically a sporting event and people raise money around them. And we thought that there was a need slash opportunity to do that right here in Cleveland."
And so, an annual bicycle race day known as VeloSano, Latin for “swift cure,” was born. Since that first race in 2014, more than 220 cancer research projects have been directly supported by the initiative.
"Ten years ago, nobody knew what VelaSano was, but I think 800 riders turned up and we figured it out in some rain. And here we are year 10 and this year we're expecting 2,500 or more riders and we've raised $40 million so far, and hope to add significantly to that this year."
100% of every dollar raised supports lifesaving cancer research being done right here in Cleveland.
"I think many of us, we drive by the Cleveland Clinic every day. We see the big buildings, we understand the quality of care from a clinical perspective, but we don't understand what's happening," Kohl said. "The facts are that survival is up, the effectiveness of cures is up. We are making tremendous progress."
And from the VeloSano staff, to the riders, to the community support, Kohl says it truly takes a village to make this important impact.
"It's very fulfilling and it should be for all of us, whether you are riding, volunteering, donating, you're all part of this movement and we should all take pride in that," he said. "As the book is being written about how cancer was cured, Cleveland will play an important role in that. VeloSano will play an important role within Cleveland, and it'll be just one more thing that we as a community can be so proud of."
