Bike Like A Girl - INO Cares June 2015

INO.com President, Adam Hewison, is a giant fan of cycling! You may have already noticed this, as many of our INO Cares campaigns revolve around the sport of cycling.

Adam busted through my office door one day with great enthusiasm and excitement. He told me all about Bike Like A Girl, an 8-woman team participating in Race Across America (RAAM), who are raising money and awareness by empowering girls and women through cycling. Adam wanted to jump right in and become a Continental Cruiser Sponsor for this team of powerful women, many of whom are from our very own neighborhood. If they succeed, this Bike Like A Girl team will be only the second women-only team in history to complete the race!

We are proud to sponsor them for our June INO Cares campaign.

The race will begin on June 20th, 2015 in Oceanside, CA. The team hopes to finish the race in Annapolis, Maryland, 7 days later on June 27th. INO.com employees and other cycling enthusiasts will cheer on these women as they cycle down Main St. to the Annapolis Harbor.

As one of their premium sponsors, we will follow these women as they cycle across our great nation and attempt to set a new transcontinental record. We will share maps, videos, pictures and more.

If you would like to contribute to Bike Like A Girl, please visit their website. All donations are fully tax deductible through a 501(c)(3). Contributions will be used to support programs through World Bicycle Relief, Women’s Cycling Association and Bicycle Advocates for Annapolis & Anne Arundel County.

We hope you'll enjoy the updates on the RAAM and the Bike Like A Girl Team as they write their own piece of history.

Best,
Lindsay Bittinger
INO.com, Inc.

Helping Domestically & Abroad - May 2015

For our May INO Cares campaign, INO.com President, Adam Hewison, wanted to make sure that we continued our support for an awesome cause that was brought to his attention by his daughter's father-in-law, Richard Lusk.

Mr. Lusk has been volunteering with Hope For Guatemala for the last four years. He primarily teaches micro-entrepreneurship to the Guatemalan locals with the hopes that they will be able to create and sustain profitable businesses which will remove them from the poverty that is so rampant in Zone 18, the poorest section in Guatemala City. Continue reading "Helping Domestically & Abroad - May 2015"

Half Marathon Follow Up - INO Cares March 2015

In March, we told you about my sister, Casey Thompson (now Casey Berry as she got married last month), who was running in the Frederick Half Marathon to raise money for The National Multiple Sclerosis Society. INO.com was proud to contribute to Casey’s fundraising.


For Casey, raising money for The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, is so incredibly important because she suffers from MS herself.

On Sunday, May 3rd, Casey powered through the Fredrick 1/2 Marathon despite her physical challenges! Casey ran the race with her husband, Jim and Amy Maher (wife of INO.com co-owner, David Maher). The three of them pushed each other through the race on one of the nicest spring mornings thus far and finished in a very respectable 2 hours and 20 minutes!

They were cheered at the finished line by some members of the INO.com family.

I am so proud of Casey, Jim & Amy! With every step and every dollar of her fundraising efforts, Casey is that much closer to finding a solution to a high-quality life with MS.

If you have a suggestion for a non-profit, please email [email protected] and tell us why it's an important cause to you. We would love for our visitors to select beneficiaries/events for our upcoming INO Cares campaigns!

Here's to a better world.

Best,
Lindsay Bittinger
INO.com, Inc.

5K For The Bay - INO Cares April 2015

In 2015, most INO.com employees have made it a mission to get in shape. Lunch breaks consist of outdoors runs, elliptical workouts and ab routines. It also happens that INO.com's corporate office is located right on the water with one of the best views of the Chesapeake Bay that there is.

Melissa, our Customer Support Manager, is an avid exerciser and makes sure she gets in her daily activity. Melissa thought that for her INO Care's pick, she would select an event which would help protect the Chesapeake Bay while also allowing our employees to get moving!

We were proud to participate in the 5K For The Bay on April 11th as part of our April 2015 INO Cares campaign! A handful of INO.com employees and their families put on their sneakers and set out early in the morning for a walk/run. Some ran for time, while others took a leisurely stroll! It was a fantastic day!

This event benefits the Chesapeake Bay Trust which is a non-profit grant-making organization dedicated to restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay through environmental education and restoration projects. We were also thrilled to present the Trust with a donation so that they may continue their work protecting the Bay that we love and enjoy so much every day!

If you have a suggestion for a non-profit, please email [email protected] and tell us why it's an important cause to you. We would love for our visitors to select beneficiaries/events for our upcoming INOCares campaigns!

Here's to a better world.

Best,
Lindsay Bittinger
INO.com, Inc.

When A Cause Hits So Close To Home - INO Cares March 2015

Personally, I am so excited for our INO Cares campaign this month. I was asked to select my favorite non-profit and this decision took less than 1/1000th of a second - The National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Last year at only 27, my little sister, Casey Thompson, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It started with tingling in her hands and feet. Then the fatigue and dizziness set it. She knew something was wrong, but Multiple Sclerosis wasn't even on her radar. After more severe symptoms appeared, doctors suspected MS and Casey was in and out of the National Institute of Health meeting with some of the world's best Neurologists and MS specialists. She was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) which is characterized as clearly defined attacks of worsening neurologic function.

Walk MS: MarylandMy sister, who is an athletic trainer and concussion care specialist, has always been an active person with an interest in physical fitness. So, having a disease like MS is particularly difficult. Not only does she have to power through times of severe fatigue, decrease in cognitive function and general pain, but she also has the emotional ups and downs that come with the unknowns of a life with MS. Continue reading "When A Cause Hits So Close To Home - INO Cares March 2015"