Good ride today. 75 miles to Fort Meyers Florida. Through farm and ranch country. My wheel held out to the bike shop in Fort Meyers and I didn't need to replace it. While on my way to the bike shop I stopped at a gas station to get a drink. There was a guy in line who left his wallet at home and couldn't pay for about $10 worth of stuff. So I decided I would cover him as so many people have helped me on the ride. He was very appreciative and we went our separate ways. Well, when I went to pay for the 1 to 1.5 hours of service time on bike the mechanic just looked at me and said "it's on me" and would not take any payment. So a shout out to Arlie at JRA Bicycle Company in Fort. Meyers Florida. A lasting impression I will have from the ride is people across the country are kind and caring, they help others and they only want the best for everyone.
Enough about the ride. What is really important are the causes I'm riding for. For a small donation, you can help make an elementary student's day each month when they receive a book they personally selected through the help of the Book Trust, you can help make sure a child has food for the weekend through Food For Our Children's backpack program, you can help fund scholarships and leadership training for high school students and you can help students who are participating in the after school reading literacy programs. If you have already donated, thank you and please consider sharing my ride with your friends and ask them to consider a donation. If you haven't donated please consider doing so by going to www.ridewithmel.com and contribute whatever you can, no amount is too small to make a difference in the future of our children.
Taking tomorrow off to spend time with a friend in Fort Meyers.