Youth Pastor Tylre Butler successfully completed his run Friday from Downtown Racine to Bradford Beach in Milwaukee to raise money for the victims of the Oklahoma tornadoes.
Butler, an Oak Creek resident, is one of the youth pastors at True Life Ministries in Mount Pleasant, and he said the devastation he saw in Oklahoma during newscasts spurred him to action.
Butler had a team of support with him riding bicycles, including his dad, Jeff, who is an avid cycler and his fiancee, Gina Gennaro. Patch touched base with Butler Friday night to see how he fared.
"Oh, I'm sore," he laughed. "We did it in about five hours and 51 minutes of run time. We stopped a couple of times for about five minutes each to refill the water bottles, but those were the only stops we made."
His goal is to raise $10,000 to send to two churches in Oklahoma who are providing assistance to residents impacted by the tornadoes through his website, www.thehopepushers.com. So far, he's tallied about $3,000, he said before setting off.
Butler's efforts were supported by several local businesses, including the Sugar Shack on Monument Square. Owner Natalie Gnutsch said she wanted to support Butler's efforts because as a family-owned business, she wanted to help other families.
"I saw the devastation down there so when Tylre came in and told me about his mission, I wanted to support him," she said.
What made the journey even more urgent is that residents in and around Oklahoma City are not out of danger. New storms are forecast and additional tornadoes have touched down.
"More people are being affected so that makes this run even more important," he said after he returned home. "I hope seeing what's happening down there inspires people to give more."
A group of about 25 from True Life met Butler at Bradford Beach, and he said it was a great reception.
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