Priest, 82, reaches his riding goal for memorial fundraiser
At age 82, and with a goal to reach every summer, the Rev. Duncan Lanum isn’t about to slow down.
Lanum finished 1,600 miles worth of summer rides late last month in his quest to honor his late wife and raise money on behalf of the Joy Rose Lanum Memorial Fund, which supports Many Mothers, a nonprofit that helps families with newborn or adopted children.
The ride is nothing new: Lanum, a priest at St. Thomas the Apostle Anglican Church, has taken his bicycle all the way to Tampa, Fla.; Atlanta; and on a compilation of rides in the area since 2016. This year, his succession of rides around the county added up to about 1,600 miles.
“It makes me feel good; I’m blessed at this age to be able to do that,” Lanum said. “Of course the underlying goal is, in my wife’s name, to help the [Many] Mothers group, but I’d like to think maybe, just maybe ... it gives a little motivation to get out and exercise.”
Before the rides in his wife’s memory, Lanum also cycled across the country to raise money for his church in California, not to mention two-wheeled trips from the West Coast to Santa Fe to visit his mother.
Joy Lanum — who was an obstetrics nurse for more than five decades — died of cancer five years ago, and Duncan Lanum has ridden his bike in her honor more than 1,500 miles each summer since. Compared to today’s sleek racing bikes that cost nearly as much as compact cars, his steed is nothing fancy — he rides a $250 Schwinn he bought 2½ years ago after someone stole his old bike out of his garage.
On his rides, and even after them, Lanum solicits tax-deductible donations to Many Mothers through the Joy Rose Lanum Memorial Fund. “Because she contributed her time and energy,” he said, “it’s really nice to have people make donations to Many Mothers.”
For information about Many Mothers, visit manymothers.org.