Dr. John Scholz, UD associate professor of physical therapy, raised $15,000 to participate in the Ride for the Roses in Austin Texas this past October. Ride for the Roses is an annual weekend event held by the Lance Armstrong Foundation which raises money to support, inspire, and empower people affected by cancer.

Dr. Scholz is particularly dedicated to this cause as he was diagnosed with cancer in 2003. Since Dr. Scholz was diagnosed he continued to stay active in both his job (as a researcher and professor of physical therapy students) and in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including exercising regularly. Dr. Scholz has said that his interest in cycling and admiration for cancer survivor and cyclist Lance Armstrong provided him with inspiration to fight his disease. His daughter came across the Livestrong Challenge, a series of races in five different cities that raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), and convinced him to bike in the 100 mile Livestrong Philadelphia challenge on September 10, 2006. When asked about his reason for participating in the Livestrong Challenge, Dr. Scholz said that funding for cancer research has been cut significantly over the past couple of years, and that Armstrong’s personal commitment to raise money for cancer has inspired him to join the cause. He said, “All of us at some point in our lives are affected by cancer, I think it’s a worthwhile cause. It’s a way of giving back because I’ve been doing well and had good care.”

As part of his first Livestrong Challenge, Dr. Scholz pledged to raise $15,000 for LAF. With the support of family, friends and the university community, Dr. Scholz was able to raise about $13,500 for the foundation, leaving him just $1,500 short of his goal. In an effort to support Dr. Scholz, the DPT students hosted a benefit at Shaggy’s on Main in October with the hope of helping him reach his fundraising goal of $15,000. With the $5 entrance fee, a portion of the tips earned by UDPT faculty guest bartenders, and the money earned in the raffle of donations from local businesses, a total of $2,758 was raised to support Dr. Scholz’s cause! This additional money raised allowed Dr. Scholz to participate in the Ride for the Roses, held in Austin, TX in October, for those who raised at least $15K. As a result, he was also able to meet his inspiration, Lance Armstrong. Dr. Scholz stated that, “I am grateful for the tremendous support from family, friends, and colleagues. They provided the motivation and inspiration that I needed to do my best in the ride.”