On Sunday, July 28th, I will begin a 1,200 mile bicycle trek around Pennsylvania in support of CHILD USA. The trip will take around 2 weeks to complete. I will depend on my PA friends and family to find me if I am nearby and come bike along or take a short break to eat and chat. A list of locations I will be passing through is provided at the bottom of this post, but I would first like to share some information about my mission.
Child abuse is an unacceptable yet prevalent feature of our society. CHILD USA is a nonprofit dedicated towards conducting evidence-based legal, medical, and social science research to identify laws and policies affecting child protection. They have initiatives, some of which I have listed below:
Statute of Limitations Reform: extending the arbitrary deadlines for criminal and civil offenses for child sexual abuse
Ending Gay Conversion Therapy
Battling Abuse and Neglect of Athletes
Addressing Medical Neglect and Vaccine Avoidance: exterminating nebulous religious exemptions to protect the health and safety of children
Improve the Handling of Children's Rape Kits
Prevent all Unlawful Child Marriages
It's been found that about 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused as minors. Pennsylvania ranks as one of the worst states for certain Statute of Limitation policies and religious exemptions that thwart interventions by Child Protective Services.
This cause is one that is special to me for many reasons, and that is why I want to make my best effort athletically and philanthropically to benefit it. CHILD USA depends on donations to continue benefiting these children, as well as previous victims who have been shut out of the system, and so I kindly ask that you consider donating.
Here is the link to donate to my GoFundMe page in full-support of CHILD USA, but if you would prefer to avoid the processing fees of that site, I would urge you to donate directly to the CHILD USA page. If you do choose to donate directly, please remember to let me know how much you donated so I may take note! If you would like to learn more about child abuse and CHILD USA, I suggest this link.
And now for the list of locations I will be passing through... because of the nature of this trip, it's hard to determine on what days or times I will be arriving in these places. So just know this information is very subject to change. I am always looking for ways to avoid sleeping illegally in a hammock on the side of a road, so if you know someone willing to host in one of these areas, please let me know (and THANK YOU!). My email is rayjfriend@gmail.com.
July 28 (Sunday)
Philadelphia (Museum of Art)!
Perkiomen Valley (my hometown)
Allentown
Stroudsburg
July 29
Scranton
Avoca
July 30
Wilkes-Barre
Bloomsburg
Williamsport
July 31
Lock Haven
State College
August 1
Cherry Springs State Park
August 2
Smethport
Warren
August 3
Erie
August 4 (Sunday)
Meadville
August 5
Cranberry
Pittsburgh
Mt Lebanon
Washington
August 6
Ohiopyle
Fort Hill
August 7
Somerset
Bedford
August 8
Breezewood
Chambersburg
Fayettville
August 9
Gettysburg
Carlisle
August 10
Mechanicsburg
Harrisburg
Hershey
Millersville
Lancaster
Coatesville
Exton
August 11 (Sunday)
Downingtown
West Chester
Upper Providence
Upper Darby
Philadelphia!
