Each year, for one week, young adults bike 600 miles across the United States for one purpose: to promote the culture of life and raise money to support pregnancy centers.
NIKKI BIESE
Executive Director, Biking for Babies
We have 95 pregnancy centers and maternity homes that are included in our partnership program this year. So at the end of our year of fundraising, with our missionaries, we will contribute a financial check to each center. And along the way, we also raise awareness because so many people don't even know what those centers are. There's confusion about what they offer.
These young adults are part of Biking for Babies. It all started in 2009 when two college men rode 600 miles to promote the pro-life movement. 15 years later, more than 200 volunteers have participated in their National Ride with routes beginning in various states.
NIKKI BIESE
Executive Director, Biking for Babies
It started with one for a few years and we've expanded. We actually had nine routes this summer. Our ride was a week in July and six of those routes go into St. Louis, Missouri and three of them go into Arlington, Virginia. So we really want to be a presence across the country that people see us being this pro-life witness on the bicycle and then they ask, “What are you doing? Why are you doing this crazy thing?”
For each route, there are two types of missionaries: the rider and the support crew. In teams of 5-12, bikers ride about 120 miles a day. The support crew plans stops and church events, navigates the team and offers support to the riders.
And the riders' brightly colored shirts attract a lot of attention.
NIKKI BIESE
Executive Director, Biking for Babies
People see young people putting themselves out there, putting their beliefs into action. And maybe everyone we met doesn't agree with how we feel about the necessity of abortion—which it's never necessary—we have conversations with people, but we start with love.
Being pro-life is fun and we're trying to bring that back. Being Catholic, being Christian is fun because God calls us to be joyful and to share that joy with everybody. So that's what we're trying to do: share that. And it's contagious and people love it.
To date, Biking for Babies has raised more than one and a half million dollars and ridden over 30,000 miles to give to these pregnancy centers around the world.
KG
