By Sandy Leanes, Purple Playas Advisor
Meet Logan Lentini, a 24-year-old bicycle enthusiast, who is turning his passion into a cause very close to his heart. He is about to embark on a 3-day bike ride to raise awareness and money for the Purple Playas Foundation (PPF), which is a 100% nonprofit charity started by his family. His younger brother, Parker, has suffered from the debilitating effects of systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis for over 12 years.
Logan came up with this fundraiser as an alternative to the foundation’s golf tournament and auction that had to be cancelled last spring due to the pandemic. He declared, “I really wanted to help out and do something big, hence the 170 mile bike ride.” His ambitious ride was mapped out over a three-day period from July 2-4, starting from his home in Gainesville and ending at his parents’ home in north Tampa.
This distance is the same as the trek his brother, Parker, has to travel to go for countless doctor appointments, tests, procedures and surgeries at Shands Hospital from his Tampa home, so the path is very significant and fitting.
Logan also has worked in pediatrics at Shands since graduating from UF in 2019 and sees firsthand how the PPF Coping Kits that are provided to kids with chronic illness greatly benefit them and their families. He also wants to shine a light on the siblings in families battling this disease because “they go through a lot too.”
Logan shared that he wants to do anything he can to support his brother: “This is the best way I know to support him; it’s one of those things when actions speak louder than words.”
The plan is to leave Gainesville at the crack of dawn on July 2, riding 50 miles all the way to Ocala camping at Santos Mountain Bike Park. Early the next morning, Logan will be biking another 50 miles to the Withlacoochee State Forest area. Then on July 4, he will head straight to Tampa — the longest leg of the ride at 70 miles!
Donations go directly to kids with chronic illness — 100% of proceeds go towards the cause with none going toward administrative costs.
You can follow Logan’s epic ride on Instagram @purpleplayasfoundation.