Mitch's Mad Kanza Challenge to Benefit the NRVT
On June 1st, Mitch Ancona, local philanthropist, and owner of Ancona's Wines & Liquors in Ridgefield, Georgetown, and Wilton made his trek to Kansas and rode his bike 201 miles at this year’s Dirty Kanza 200 (DK200), a 200 mile long ultra-endurance bicycling challenge, held on the gravel roads through the Flint Hills region of east-central Kansas.
Mitch did not spin his wheels in vain but, in the spirit of his personal and company mission of giving back (locally), he rode to raise funds for the Norwalk River Valley Trail (NRVT), a local 501c3 non-profit organization. And ... funds he raised! "HUGE Thank you to all that helped me reach my donation goal. I'm happy to report that we surpassed the $3000 goal, which means we were able to take advantage of the super generous $3000 matching donation," Ancona said.
The Norwalk River Valley Trail [NRVT] project aims to build 30 miles of trail connecting Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk, Connecticut to Rogers Park in Danbury, passing through Wilton, Ridgefield, and Redding along the way. Eight miles have been built so far in Wilton and Norwalk.
"Let’s build more!" says Ancona.
The NRVT will be a 10 foot wide, wheelchair-accessible trail creating recreation opportunities for walkers, hikers, cyclists, kids and pets. The NRVT will offer a healthy transportation alternative to rail stations, schools, offices, and businesses.