The Beginning

Well this is my first post and I am a little apprehensive. I am stepping out of the box and beginning a new adventure in more ways than one. First, I am planning on riding a bicycle across the good old USA and back again in about 120 days. Somewhere between 6,500 and 7,000 total miles. Second, I hope to finance part of the trip by getting my friends and family to help me with a fundraiser. The fundraiser will raise funds by getting folks to donate their old "cell phones" and "ink cartridges." I have found a company that will pay money for working cell phones of almost any age, as long as they still turn on and are not damaged badly, and ink cartridges that have not already been refilled. I am also asking for personal cash donations which can be mailed to: Russell Barber 22997 Hampton Ct., Grand Terrace, CA 92313 or sent via PayPal to marathoner26.2@sbcglobal.net. Third, after raising the money for the trip itself, which I figure will cost about $2,500.00 - $3,000.00, I will set out to accomplish my goal. During the trip I hope to raise $10.00 for every mile that I pedal for a possible total of $70,000.00 or more. The charity that I will be raising money for is the "Challenged Athletes Foundation" which helps people with disabilities get the prosthetics they need in order to have more productive lives, and also be able to compete athletically. This enables those with disabilities to live fuller, richer lives and helps them with the confidence they need to succeed in life.

This is all going to be a new experience for me and a work in progress. I will be setting up a website from which donations can be made to both the financing of the trip itself and of course the "Challenged Athletes Foundation."

Why am I doing this! Well I have two main objectives. The first objective is to accomplish a life long dream of riding a bicycle across the USA by myself from coast to coast to coast. The second is to somehow "Pass it forward" by raising money for a worthy cause. I have been privileged to have a very good life with a wonderful wife and two children who have now grown into adulthood. I have been blessed by God and many wonderful friends and feel compelled to do something more. To just accomplish the ride would be wonderful for me but to be able to do good for others in the process would be wonderful for others.

I hope you will follow me in this endeavor and give generously to the "Challenged Athletes Foundation." Thank you, in advance for your generous help with this endeavor.

Sincerely,

Russ Barber