Elon Musk created awe with being the world’s first trillionaire. At Taylor Swift concerts, folks cry and faint. The New York Knicks were given a parade by winning the NBA Finals. Each has dominated news coverage worldwide.

Errol Craig Sull honors the man who created the Ride for Roswell.

Yet in Western New York, one event, held once each year, seems of even greater significance – at least to me. It has helped to save and extend the lives of thousands and has provided new money to aid in cancer research. The Ride for Roswell attracts thousands to bicycle a gaggle of routes, and in its 31 years of existence, $93 million has been the result.

It was Mitch Flynn's idea that grew into this mammoth gift to humanity. Elon Musk, Taylor Swift, the New York Knicks: please bow to this man who embodies what the human spirit and joy of life is all about.

Of course, events that help – the Ride for Roswell, tornado and earthquake relief, Doctors Without Borders, the Salvation Army, and many others – only come into sharp 3-D focus when they have a direct personal effect, and such is it with the Ride for Roswell.

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