Lisa Hughes has a lot to be proud of. She is a wife, mother and paralegal who lives in Sandy Springs area of Atlanta, Georgia, and completed her first triathlon at the age of 50. She has since become an avid 24 Foundation participant and supporter.

Lisa first learned about 24 Foundation in 2012, when her son’s school, Mount Vernon Presbyterian School, was named as the new host venue for the start/finish of the annual charity, non-competitive cycling event. She was intrigued by the name of the event and was looking for something to do in the triathlon “offseason.”

She truly gained interest when she learned that funds from the Atlanta event supported the Aflac Cancer Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), in addition to LIVESTRONG. Lisa had close friends, Lea and Ken Madren, whose son Chip was successfully fighting his own cancer battle at CHOA. The organization, which is a national leader among childhood cancer, hematology, and blood and marrow transplant programs, was very near and dear to her heart. She knew that she had to get involved in the Booty event.

Lisa has taken on the challenge of bringing other parents, students, staff, and administration from Mount Vernon Presbyterian School together and has formed a new team, Team Mustang Strong! The idea for the team name came from the Facebook page dedicated to health and wellness at the school. The team plans to prepare for the event by having organized group rides once or twice a month on the Booty Loop in Sandy Springs.

Lisa is excited about Team Mustang Strong and hopes to see a rider from the group on the course at all times, at least one rider for all 24 hours! But the main goals for Team Mustang Strong are to have fun and raise money for CHOA.

“I don’t think there is one person at this school who has not been impacted by cancer in some way, so it would be very difficult to select just one individual to honor as a team,” Lisa said. “We ride for all those served by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.”