If you want children to learn about healthy habits, who better to pass along the information than a bicycle traveler carrying 70 pounds of equipment some 60 miles a day from coast-to-coast.
That bicyclist is 27-year-old Chris Figureida. He's making his second cross-country bike trip — Cycle for Heart — to educate school children about the importance of proper nutrition and leading an active lifestyle in order to prevent obesity.
He left from Neah Bay on Washington state's Olympic Peninsula on Sept. 7, and he's already spoken to students in Seattle and Olympia. His itinerary calls for him to continue riding southeasterly until he reaches Key West in November.
Along the way, he'll stop at schools in Portland; Boise; Salt Lake City' Cheyenne, Wyoming; Denver, Oklahoma City; Little Rock; Jackson, Mississippi; Montgomery, Alabama; Tallahassee, Tampa, Miami and Key West.
The Ventura, California, native has done lots of globe-trotting. In fact watching people help AIDS and HIV patients in Africa gave him the idea to ride his bicycle across the US for a cause.
In addition to talking with students on this trip, he's raising funds and awareness for the American Heart Association, which also wants to curb obesity in children to prevent future heart disease in adults. In addition, he supports the Rotary International's Polio Plus Program.
On his website, Figureida explains:
“When asked why I am doing this cross-country bike trek, I say it is because I want to engage people – and especially kids, our leaders of tomorrow – to know that they can make a difference too – starting with themselves and healthy habits. Every day.”
Visit his website — Cycle for Heart — if you'd like to donate. He also plans to post occasional updates on his blog.
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