I’m riding my bicycle across America from the Atlantic to the Pacific to raise $10,000 for Bell Socialization which runs York, Pennsylvania’s homeless shelter. I have a special place in my heart for Bell because I worked in their homeless shelter as a caseworker in my early 20’s. The Mission of Bell Socialization Services is to provide an environment of support and empowerment where people can improve their quality of living. The agency offers housing and basic living support through mental health, intellectual disability and shelter service departments towards its vision of a community where people are valued and respected and live with dignity.
Please join me in making a difference by supporting this worthy cause! Your donation of any size will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me. Please keep in mind that Bell Socialization is a 501(c)(3) entity so your donation is tax deductible. Your donation goes straight from GoFundMe to Bell Socialization. GoFundMe link and trip info at link below. (All donations go straight from GoFundMe to Bell Socialization which runs York, PA’s homeless shelter. Donations of any size (no matter how small) make a real difference. 🙂
Facebook page link for this cross country bicycle journey: https://www.facebook.com/Coast-to-Coast-Biking-Across-US-for-Homeless-129363498649748/
My goal is to raise $10,000 for Bell Socialization. The journey from coast to coast is 2,937 miles. That means I need to raise about $3.41 per mile for this worthy cause.
So:
* your contribution of $25 to this fundraiser for Bell Socialization via GoFundMe will cover donation for about 7.3 miles of the 2,937 mile journey. It will take me about 45 minutes to ride that distance.
* your contribution of $50 to this fundraiser for Bell Socialization via GoFundMe will cover donation for about 14.7 miles of the 2,937 mile journey. It will take me about 90 minutes to ride that distance.
* your contribution of $100 to this fundraiser for Bell Socialization via GoFundMe will cover donation for about 29 miles of the 2,937 mile journey. It will take me about 3 hours to ride that distance.
* your contribution of $250 to this fundraiser for Bell Socialization via GoFundMe will cover donation for about 73 miles of the 2,937 mile journey. It will take me about 7 1/2 hours to ride that distance.
* your contribution of $500 to this fundraiser for Bell Socialization via GoFundMe will cover donation for about 146 miles of the journey. It will take me about 15 hours to ride that distance.
* a donation of $1,000 to this fundraiser for Bell Socialization via GoFundMe will cover donation for about 294 miles of the journey. It will take me about 30
hours to ride this distance.
I’ve been training hard. I realize this will be a lot more challenging than the 1,000 mile ride I did across England, France, Belgium and Holland, but I feel ready and eager for the challenge. My training over the past year has shown me that a long bike ride, in some ways, is simply a series of short bike rides.
The money you donate goes directly from GoFundMe to Bell Socialization. Bell is a nonprofit and your donation is tax deductible.
I’m peddling west across the country. I’m riding my favorite bike ever, a Trek Verve 2. I’ve had it for about a year and it’s a fantastic bicycle. It’s solid, reliable, fast and smooth and it fits me perfectly. I recently had the Trek dealer do a tune up and they helped me find a great set of panniers.
I’ll be extra safe on this journey. I’ll be wearing a large bright orange reflective vest and will be using a bright rechargeable flashing red tail light that you can see from over a mile away during the day. I’ll be taking non-highway routes and will be going extra miles when necessary to avoid busier roads. I won’t be pushing too hard miles wise, will be carrying extra water and will be taking plenty of rest breaks. As Forest Gump put it, I’ll sleep when I’m tired, eat when I’m hungry. . . and so on. 🙂.
I’m doing this trip as inexpensively as possible. I’ll be camping in my tent (sleeping in campgrounds, state parks etc.) and will be eating freeze dried food — which actually is pretty delicious and nutritious these days. I will be taking a small lightweight fishing pole, a few lures and a lightweight fry pan just in case I encounter a pristine lake now and then.
The “Dyrt” app on my iPhone will be very handy companion, especially since info on campgrounds and state parks across America is now available even without cell coverage. (All info is already downloaded on my phone).
Thanks for taking the time to read this message. More news and details on this journey and other adventures soon.
Take care,
Bill Swartz
billswartz@mac.com
GoFundMe link and trip info at link below. (All donations go straight from GoFundMe to Bell Socialization which runs York, PA’s homeless shelter. Donations of any size (no matter how small) make a real difference. 🙂
Facebook page link for this cross country bicycle journey: https://www.facebook.com/Coast-to-Coast-Biking-Across-US-for-Homeless-129363498649748/
This Clear Blue Sky 