Skokie Business Owner Rides to Help Soldiers

Like many Americans, Rob Paddor can recall exactly what he was doing and where he was going on Sept. 11, 2001.

As the owner of Evanston Subaru of Skokie, Paddor was driving to an auction to purchase several vehicles for his dealership. It was about 8:30 a.m., when he received a phone call from his wife informing him of the tragic event that took place at the Twin Towers.

"By the time I got to the auction it was dead silent. You could hear a pin drop," Paddor said. "Usually when you're at an auction, there's a lot of rumbling and noise, but everyone was tuned into the TV."

Paddor took the tragedy to heart and became involved with the military shortly afterward. He's now serving on the board of directors for the United Service Organization (USO), which provides support to personnel in the armed forces. Two years ago, his dealership netted more than $20,000 in donations for service members.

Now, Paddor is at it once again. Starting on Sept. 10 in Boston, this "Ride 2 Recovery"  fundraiser is called the "Minuteman Challenge." The 300-plus mile bicycle ride goes from Boston and concludes in New York City at the World Trade Center Memorial with a final ceremony at West Point Academy.  

The "Minuteman Challenge" runs from Sept. 10 thru Sept. 15th 2012.

Rob has promised to write a daily blog of his journey.

To help support the cause, Paddor plans to match all donations during Ride 2 Recovery. Details on donating can be found here.