Which David Hastings will you support? Support the David who rides for good

David Hastings, SPIN-A-RAMA record holder.

We’re not talking today about David Hastings, the well-known local CPA, who going to be getting busier and busier right about now because it’s tax season. We’re not talking about David Hastings, the public servant, who once served on the Gulfport City Council and as the city’s vice mayor. We’re not even talking about David Hastings, the restaurateur, owner of one of the most popular local eating establishments, Habana Cafe.

We could talk about any one of these endeavors of this very accomplished man and have plenty to say.

But no. Today we’re talking about David Hastings, the athlete. And David Hastings, the competitor. And David Hastings, the cancer survivor. And David Hastings, the philanthropist.

For the last three years, this David Hastings, has participated in SPIN-A-RAMA, the St. Petersburg YMCA event to raise awareness and support for the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA Program, and for the last three years David has been the only spin rider to ride all nine hours of the event. He’s doing it again but we’ll get to that in a minute.

The LIVESTRONG program is a free, 12-week, small group exercise program designed for adult cancer survivors. Participants don’t have to be members of the Y and their families are given free membership during this 12 weeks. The YMCA is one of 25 organizations throughout Florida to offer this program. Some 75 to 80 survivors graduate from the program each year. The cost is about $500 per participant.

SPIN-A-RAMA is the only fundraiser the Y has for the LIVESTRONG program. It is an exhausting endeavor. Riders are allowed only a five-minute break each hour. David Hastings expends 750 to 800 calories an hour. For David, its personal. He is a stage four cancer survivor and he benefited from the LIVESTRONG program. He rides to make it possible for others to participate, too. David will be riding in SPIN-A-RAMA on February 20 at the YMCA.

You can help David by supporting his effort to raise money for the LIVESTRONG program by clicking on the link. You’ll be taken to a page on the website Crowd Rise, which has the interesting tag line: “If you don’t give back no one will like you.”

We know that people like David Hastings. We suspect it has everything to do with his talent as a CPA, his career as a public servant, his ownership of a delicious restaurant, his stamina and prowess as a spin rider, his fortitude as a cancer survivor, and yes, his giving back as he spins away in SPIN-A-RAMA.