Riding Across America for a Worthy Cause
For 12 years, Jeannie Benton has dreamed of cycling across the United States, not just for the personal satisfaction, but in support of a worthy cause. For the next 7 weeks, that dream will become a reality for Jeannie, as she treks from Astoria, OR, to Portsmouth, NH, a distance of more than 3,625 miles. As part of a trip organized by
America by Bicycle, Jeannie is riding in support of
Operation Life Transformed, raising money and visibility for this organization which helps military spouses and caregivers of wounded veterans obtain training for portable careers such as medical transcription. Operation Life Transformed has set up a
Web site where Jeannie's updates and other information about her ride and OLT can be found. You can also follow Jeannie's progress on
Twitter.
Jeannie is 51 years old, a 32-year resident of New Hampshire, a special education paraprofessional at Bedford High School, co-owner of a health club, and mom of four raised children: Aubrielle, age 26, Justin, 23, Joshua, 20, and Christina, 19. Her journey across America really started more than 12 years ago when she got involved in spinning and strength training classes and recognized her ability for endurance on the bike. Jeannie began doing one-day cycling events for fun and for charities, and it was then that she started to dream about the idea of riding across America. Now at last that dream is becoming a reality as she cycles across 10 northern states, averaging over 80 miles per day, with a few rest days thrown in along the way.
I have the privilege of participating in this worthy endeavor by providing Jeannie with access to a call-in dictation system and transcription services so she can call in daily updates to keep her supporters informed of her progress. As the proud parents of two children currently serving in the military (Philip, age 25, U.S. Army, Ft. Benning, Georgia, and Daniel, age 23, U.S. Air Force, Hickam AFB, Hawaii), my wife Carol and I are honored to be able to support Jeannie and OLT as they work to provide assistance to military families.
Congratulations, Jeannie, on following through on your dream. Our thoughts and prayers are with you!