(READ FIRST) Preschool Teacher Across America: Back in the Saddle for Ryves (May-July 2024)

The plan for this summer is to ride from coast to coast, starting in San Francisco, CA and ending in Wildwood Crest, NJ.  I’ll be starting on May 29th and finishing around July 29th.

I’m riding to raise money for Ryves Youth Center in Terre Haute, IN. If you click on the link below to donate, 100% of your donation will go to Ryves Youth Center. This trip is 100% self-financed and I receive nothing when you donate. (I’ll explain what Ryves does in more detail below.)

I will be maintaining a vlog of my trip as I go, with any relevant links posted here. Since there is no shortage of people blogging and writing about their bicycle trips across America and even around the world, many of whom are better writers and cyclists than I, it seemed that the most worthwhile contribution I could make would be to maintain a record of my trip made especially for those humans who find themselves in the “early childhood” stage of development (3-7 years old). Since I’m a preschool teacher by trade, I have some insight as to what would interest kids during a trip across America and how to present that.

My route is not planned yet but I plan to hit California, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado while I’m out west and to stop for awhile in Indiana in July to rest and recuperate before finishing.

Ryves Youth Center is ran by Catholic Charities of Terre Haute and provides free meals, tutoring facilities, activities, and a safe place to go for the children of Terre Haute, regardless of religious background. They also have a free preschool that provides services to homeless and near-homeless children. It’s an excellent program and it was while volunteering there for two years during college that I received inspiration to continue working with young children that culminated in my becoming a preschool teacher myself.

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a former nurse and in my 3rd year of teaching at a Catholic preschool in Indiana. This trip is not sponsored or endorsed by my school or diocese, but I hope my fellow Catholics will find this cause to be worth contributing to.

If you would like to donate, please use the general donation page on the Catholic Charities webpage here: https://ccthin.org/donate and click on Ryves Preschool or Ryves Youth Center from the drop down. They’re both worthy causes that I can vouch for.

For more information about Ryves Youth Center and its mission, click here: https://ccthin.org/ryves-youth-center