Bike trek aims to aid childen of 9-11 heroes

Friday, June 13, 2003 | 4:45 a.m.

Donations can be made by credit card through the group's website (fallencomrades911.com), by phone at (702) 361-5533 or by check to Fallen Comrades 911,P.O. Box 98094, Las Vegas NV 89193.

Vowing that the families of 37 New York Port Authority Police officers who died on Sept. 11, 2001, should never be forgotten, six Metro Police bike patrol officers will pedal across the country to raise money to educate their children.

"Right now, there are 20 children of those families without the certainty of a good education," said retired Metro Sgt. Ron Swift, spokesman for Fallen Comrades 911, a charity formed by the local officers.

"When we looked into how we could help, we were told that a lot of money had been donated to the families of members of the New York Police Department and Fire Department, but that the families of Port Authority officers had not gotten as much support."

Port Authority officials could not confirm which public service agencies received more donated money than others, but a spokesman for the agency said Friday that support is still coming in from all over the country and it is appreciated.

"The need is definitely there," Dan Maynard, spokesman of the Port Authority.

Maynard said there are 67 children of the 37 Port Authority officers killed on Sept. 11, but he believes the figure used by Fallen Comrades 911 reflects the number of children for whom future education funds have not yet been identified.

"It is a generous show of support on the part of the officers from Las Vegas," Maynard said. The charity event, "Fallen Comrades 911: The Charity Bicycle Ride" begins Aug. 16 in Las Vegas and will end in New York City on Sept. 11.

The goal is to raise $500,000 from this event and $2 million through a combination of all of the nonprofit organization's activities. The money is earmarked for the children's college or trade school educations.

The tour will pass through Washington, D.C., Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey.

In addition to donations, the officers are in need of a recreational vehicle, gasoline money and food for the long trip.

Here are the officers who will make the journey: