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Illinois Manufacturers’ Association Announces Fourth Annual Lynne Mohr Memorial Bike Ride

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 9, 2024

Illinois Manufacturers’ Association Announces Fourth Annual Lynne Mohr Memorial Bike Ride  

Ride Across the Swiss Alps Will Raise Funds for Students Pursuing Careers in Skilled Trades and Manufacturing

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) is proud to announce the fourth annual Lynne Mohr Memorial Bike Ride, which will raise funds to support students pursuing careers in the skilled trades and manufacturing. This year, the “Big Sky Bicycle Ride – The Swiss Alps and The Black Forest,” will take place from July 10 to July 31 on a route through the Swiss Alps and Germany.

Named in honor of former Brite-O-Matic Manufacturing, Inc. President Lynne Mohr, who died in 2020 following complications from liver cancer, the fundraising bike ride will be completed by Mohr’s cousin George Maurer, a Minneapolis-based musician and adventure bicyclist. Mohr worked at Brite-O-Matic, the specialty car wash systems manufacturer founded by her father William Gasser, from age 14 through her retirement in 2018. She was widely known for her generosity, philanthropy and dedication to the manufacturing industry, including serving as a unifying force on legislative policy as a Board member of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association.

This year, Maurer’s goal is to raise $25,000 to support The Lynne Mohr Endowment for trade scholarships.  Administered by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association Education Foundation, the endowment funds post-secondary education for Illinois students pursuing trades that Mohr respected and supported as part of her legacy. Because Mohr was a huge fan of British glam rock band Queen, this year’s ride will be built around the band’s song “Bicycle Race.”

During the 25 days earmarked for the ride, Maurer will cover 1,000-miles, starting at the base of the Freddie Mercury statue on Lake Geneva in Montreux, where the band recorded their “Jazz” album. He will then travel over the Swiss Alps to Lake Constance and up the Rhine River into Germany’s Black Forest. Maurer will be accompanied by Aussie friend and triathlete, Kurk Bennet, who he met during the 2nd annual Big Sky Ride in 2022. Donations in support of the endowment can be made at: https://gofund.me/18e505fb or by going to https://gofundme.com and searching for “Lynne Mohr.”

“Developing a pipeline of talented workers is one of the most pressing challenges facing the manufacturing industry today. Funding scholarships is one way to spur interest in manufacturing careers and remove financial barriers that may stand in the way,” said Sarah Hartwick, Vice President of Education & Workforce Policy at the IMA and Executive Director of the IMA Education Foundation. “We appreciate George’s dedication as he undertakes another challenging ride to honor Lynne’s legacy and help students achieve their dreams.”

The most recent beneficiaries of the scholarships are Diana Heredia (College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn), Marisol Sanchez (Northern Illinois University, DeKalb) and Juan Torres (Lincoln Land Community College, Springfield), who were presented with their awards at the IMA’s Workforce Solutions Summit held last month in Elgin. Applications for the next round of scholarship awards will open this fall. Additional information can be found at https://ima-net.org/education-foundation/.

About the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA)

The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association is the only statewide association dedicated exclusively to advocating, promoting and strengthening the manufacturing sector in Illinois. The IMA is the oldest and largest state manufacturing trade association in the United States, representing nearly 4,000 companies and facilities.  For more information, please visit http://ima-net.org/.

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