We at Four Seasons Rotary Club – Hendersonville are grateful to our sponsors, especially Hunter Subaru, for enabling us to offer the 10th annual Tour d’Apple charity cycling event on Labor Day, during the annual NC Apple Festival weekend.  Beginning at 7:00 am on September 5th, more than 500 hundred cyclists will accept the challenge of bicycling one of our four fully-supported, well-marked routes through the apple orchards and mountain roads of Henderson County.  Cyclists and volunteers will find all details and their opportunity to register at www.tourdapple.com.
How does the Four Seasons Rotary use the funds from the Tour d’Apple?
Four Seasons Rotary Club – Hendersonville uses Tour d’Apple proceeds principally for local charitable needs like Special Needs Sports, scholarships and emergency funds for students at Blue Ridge Community College, and books for school libraries.  We have also, for example,  purchased playground equipment for Rotary Park on W. Allen Street in Hendersonville.   In addition to TDA proceeds, many cyclists make extra donations 100% of which fund charitable needs: one year back-to-schools shoes, another year winter coats, and then last year Alzheimer’s research and local needs through Interfaith Assistance Ministry.  This year those additional cyclists’ donations will assist with the Christmas bicycles for area children and will also support for the Ecusta Trail.
 
Why is this event important to the club?
Our TDA fundraiser has the dual benefits of fostering camaraderie among our members and in helping to fulfill our Rotary motto of Service Above Self.  TDA also gives volunteers a chance to help with a community event.
 
Why is the work of the Four Seasons Rotary important to our local community?  
Our post-event surveys have revealed that about twenty per cent of our cyclists live more than one hundred miles from Hendersonville.  We expect cyclists from at least ten states.  These out-of-the-area cyclists patronize local businesses, restaurants, and hotels, boosting our economy.  Moreover we help put Henderson County’s “best foot” forward and show how great our area is for living and vacationing.
 
Why is the work of the Four Seasons Rotary important to our local community? 
Like 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide, we can see needs overlooked by others and thus focus on helping to meet local needs that government cannot address efficiently or effectively.  Tour d’Apple proceeds will also help us join with other Rotary clubs in meeting regional and even international charitable needs.
What’s the most important thing you’d like the public to know about this event? 
The 10th annual Tour d’Apple charity cycling event will give more than five hundred cyclists of all ages a fun time riding from 25 to 100 miles around the apple orchards and mountains of Henderson County.  They will enjoy four fully-supported rest stops and a post-ride Mexican lunch – a new twist for the TDA.  We also expect that many cyclists will visit the NC Apple Festival on Hendersonville’s main street on Saturday and Sunday before their Labor Day rides.