Thank you!!!!

Hi everyone,

Just a quick note to say that, with donations made directly to participating organizations, we raised  $5,000 through BIKE NC! Thank you so much for your support of education and your support for me!

Deadline for donations!

Hi everyone!

Tomorrow, Halloween, is the LAST DAY that I will be taking donations for BIKE NC. It has been a wonderful journey and, with checks still to be deposited and donations made directly to the organizations in the name of BIKE NC, we have raised over $5,000. I am excited by the good work this money will do for the East Durham Children's Initiative, NC Partnership for Children, and Advocates for Children's Services. And I hope this project has helped get the word about the importance of education and education funding. I've had some wonderful conversations and learned a lot.

Last call for donations! Every little bit counts. THANK YOU!

Occupy the Classroom

Kristof wrote a piece in the New York Times about early childhood education today:

One common thread, whether I’m reporting on poverty in New York City or in Sierra Leone, is that a good education tends to be the most reliable escalator out of poverty. Another common thread: whether in America or Africa, disadvantaged kids often don’t get a chance to board that escalator. 

The piece is well worth a read. And it's not too late to donate to BIKE NC to support early childhood education at home in North Carolina.

Photo - finally in the ocean!

A long overdue photo - finally putting my tired feet in the Atlantic ocean at the end of my bike ride, in Emerald Isle. As soon as I stopped pedaling I found a beach access, which had a long wooden ramp over the dunes. Of course a road bike is useless on the beach, but I rolled and carried it down to the surf anyway. After a long summer of training and five straight days of pedaling, I developed an emotional attachment to my bike and felt it deserved to see the ocean after working so hard.

More than a week after finishing the bike ride, I feel grateful and happy for the experience and amazed by how far away it already feels. It seems so easy, looking back, but of course it wasn't. At times - fleeting - it felt darn miserable. But the feeling at the end of the ride, standing on that beach, and all the support and and affirmation I've gotten since coming home, were worth it completely. I did something a little crazy, a little bit different, and people noticed. And they noticed the message - invest in education - in the process. That is my hope.

The lines are still open for donations to BIKE NC. If you have donated already, thank you SO much. Please continue to pay attention to education. To how it's written about in the media and discussed by politicians. And raise your own voice - tell your congressmen to invest in education; volunteer at a school. Call up the East Durham Children's Initiative or NC Partnership for Children and ask them how you can get involved. And share your stories with me. The blog will stay up. I want to hear from you.

Here's a bit of good news about North Carolina high schools with good graduation rates.

Photo from day 1

A picture from day 1 of my bike ride. I look so fresh and eager to get started compared to the following days! We were in Banner Elk, NC on a morning much cooler than I was accustomed to in Durham. The first twenty minutes of the ride out of Banner Elk were spent going UP. I had to stop the bike, drink some Gatorade, and give myself a pep talk. Then I was ready for the 70 miles to come.

NC Teaching Fellows

Nice article about the NC Teaching Fellows program in the New York Times. Talented high school students gain an affordable path to college and, in return, give their talents to public schools as teachers for at least four years. The Fellows are role models who have come up through NC public schools and excelled. But the General Assembly voted this summer to phase out the Teaching Fellows program.

Barry Saunders column!

Great write up in the News and Observer about BIKE NC. I am indeed a little sore, but grateful and thrilled that the word is getting out about education!