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Cycling Enthusiast Establishes Award to Honor His Brother

New annual $5,000 Award Established for participants of Cadence Cycling Foundation

PHILADELPHIA – February 27, 2009 -Cadence Cycling Foundation (CCF) recently announced the establishment of a new annual award to be given to an outstanding junior or senior member of its program, valued at $5,000.

Started by Jay Snider, past president of the Philadelphia Flyers, the CCF reaches out to intercity youth and provides them with free cycling training and proper equipment to compete in races in the hope that cycling will help improve the quality of their lives.

The Josh Olexy Memorial Award for Humanity has been established by Bryn Olexy, a Germantown-based cycling enthusiast and supporter of the CCF, in tribute to his brother, who died at the age of 30 in an auto accident.

Bryn established the Award to honor the characteristics that Josh exhibited so powerfully during his life: being a good person who demonstrates compassion and caring, having intellectual curiosity and a desire to learn, and being committed to personal and societal betterment.
“Josh was a fascinating and special person who made a tremendous impact on his community during his short life. He had a profound intellectual curiosity, devoting time to explore and better understand the world he lived in,” said Bryn.

Josh had an infectious enthusiasm for exploration and adventure. He was an expert skier and ski instructor, an expert rock climber, and a pioneer of some of the most challenging mountain biking terrain in Colorado.

“I love Bryn’s notation that the Award may not go to the most academically accomplished or physically gifted kid, but to one of our kids who is motivated by the idea of making a societal contribution and making our world a better place,” said Ryan Oelkers, Executive Director of the CCF.

“Josh made a powerful statement with his life, and that statement has to do with living life with enthusiasm and curiosity while being a compassionate and caring member of society,” said Bryn.

Qualifying program members are eligible to apply for the award in August. Evaluations, including group interviews, will be conducted during September, and the award will be presented to the recipient at a dinner ceremony in October, at the end of the program season.

Official eligibility rules and criteria as well as a schedule for application submission and evaluation are being developed and will be announced shortly to Foundation participants.