Walgreens executive raises thousands for charity

Buffalo Grove resident and Walgreens executive Michael Polzin's pedal proved his mettle recently when he rode a combined 400 miles from Santa Barbara, California, to Las Vegas as part of a fundraiser to end childhood poverty. He raised more than $5,500.

The fundraiser supported Red Nose Day, which has raised more than $60 million for global nonprofits (including four in Chicago) working to help children be safe, healthy and educated.

Polzin, divisional vice president of corporate communications, said much of the terrain on the four-day trip was mountainous, with each day averaging 4,000-5,000 feet of elevation.

"We had support vehicles behind us with extra bikes and tires, if we had any mechanical problems," he said of the race, which was hosted by Walgreens and PeopleForBikes. "There were several professional cyclists who were riding along with us and guiding us and coaching us, and they would bring fresh water bottles up to us to exchange for empty ones, just like teams do in the Tour de France."

In 2014, Walgreens merged with Alliance Boots, which had a long history of participating in Red Nose Day in the United Kingdom.

"We thought it would be a great idea to bring that over to the U.S.," Polzin said.

Walgreens has been the exclusive retailer for Red Noses since 2015. More than 15 million Red Noses have been produced for 2017, available at all Walgreens locations for $1.