State-Leading Bike and Walk Captains Honored as "Human Elements"
Ed Rightor and Helen Myers, who both work at The Dow Chemical Company’s headquarters in Midland, Mich., recently won the company’s prestigious Human Element Award for their dedication to the MS movement.
Ed’s journey with the National MS Society started in 1992 when a colleague in Texas, where he then worked, was diagnosed. Ed took action by forming a Bike MS team, and kept the momentum going by forming yet another team in Midland after transferring there in 1998. In 2008, Ed’s team surpassed $1 million in fundraising, making it the top Bike MS team in all of Michigan.
“It is a grassroots effort,” Ed said, adding that the ride “represents the power of Dow people to make a difference for their colleagues and neighbors.”
Helen Myers was one of the hundreds of people whom Ed recruited to make the ride a success. Five years after starting to sponsor cyclists, the meaning of the event deepened for Helen: she was diagnosed with MS.
“It’s an entirely different situation when you have a disease versus someone you know having the disease,” she said. “My whole perspective changed in an instant.”
Ed asked Helen to ratchet up her involvement by leading the first-ever Dow team in Walk MS in 2003. In that first year, Helen mobilized 130 walkers who raised more than $28,000, making it Michigan’s second-highest-grossing Walk MS team. Like most Dow employees, #2 wasn’t quite good enough for Helen… by 2008 the team was up to nearly $37,000, making it the state’s #1 Walk MS team.
“I know the money we raise makes support programs and treatments possible for me and those who will be diagnosed with MS in the future,” Helen said. “I’m flattered to be honored as the Midland Human Element. I’m not a doctor. I can’t do research or explore treatments… but I can do this to make a difference. I hope my story inspires others to get out and make a difference.”
Another Dow Human Element winner with an MS connection is Lloyd Colgrove, who took over Ed’s bike team in Texas after Ed transferred to Michigan.
“People choose to participate in this type of event for so many reasons,” Ed said. “I try to tap into each individual’s motivation. Some people decide to ride to try something athletic and improve their health, while some people get involved because they’re highly competitive and want to see how much money they can raise. Other people participate because they have direct experience with MS or other neurological diseases. It’s really a convergence of different motivations that all come together to create so much good.”
Click here to see a video about Ed, Helen, and what it takes to be a Dow Human Element.