HispanicBusiness

The seventh annual Dodge Million Dollar Challenge will kick off Saturday, Oct. 13, at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, announced the Challenged Athletes Foundation, the event's organizer and beneficiary.

More than 100 cyclists, including 12 physically challenged athletes, celebrities and professional athletes will embark on the seven-day, 620-mile ride down the scenic yet demanding California coastline, finishing at Kellogg Park in La Jolla, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 19.

CAF hopes to raise more than $1M through this sold-out event to help physically challenged athletes by funding grants for adaptive sports equipment, training and competition expenses, mentoring and sports clinics.

CAF is proud to have the Dodge brand as a global partner and presenting sponsor of the Million Dollar Challenge. The Dodge brand will assist in the event roll-out by leading out the cyclists with five 2013 Dodge vehicles. In addition to their title sponsorship, the Dodge brand is underwriting two cyclists for the event, including Chrysler Group employee Marc Henretta, a paraplegic.

"The MDC journey is about so much more than the mental and physical challenge of the ride," said Dean Roeper, Co-Chair of the Dodge Million Dollar Challenge. "It is an odyssey of self-discovery, where the sense of accomplishment and camaraderie is accentuated by the experience of riding side-by-side with the very challenged athletes who benefit from the funds raised."

Participating in the challenge will be 12 challenged athletes including Army Sergeant Major Chris Self, a 44-year-old Purple Heart recipient who sustained gunshot wounds to both legs during combat operations while serving in Iraq, and Sean Simonson, a quadriplegic who suffered a spinal cord injury in a mountain bike accident.

Also riding are top pro cyclists from Team Garmin-Barracuda, and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton, who, after 36 surgeries himself, understands the importance of being able to ride his bike every day. Additional MDC event sponsors include SKLZ, J&L Pie Company, Life Technologies, Rancho Valencia, Wells Fargo, Skullcandy, SixteenFifty Creative Intelligence, Barracuda Networks, ZICO, SOS Entertainment, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Skin Medica, SPY, Refuel "Got Chocolate Milk?", Garmin Sharp Pro Cycling Team and Pactimo.

To learn more about the Dodge Million Dollar Challenge, please visit www.cyclemdc.com. For more information about Challenged Athletes Foundation, go to www.challengedathletes.org. To follow the MDC on Twitter, go to @CAFoundation or #CycleForCAF.