By Terrell Clemmons
It all started when Jimmy Becker and Mike Shaefer began talking about their desire to do something meaningful that would have an impact on their community. The two University of Illinois students were both endurance runners, but they decided to go on an extended bike ride to raise money for a cause. Why bikes? Because they could cover more miles on wheels than on foot.
As far as the cause? That was easy; they knew right away what the cause would be. Jimmy, especially, had taken to heart St. John Paul II’s admonition that everyone should take action to change the culture of death into a culture of life and that each person should speak up for the dignity and worth of every human being. Together, the two young men saw this as their duty and as a fight worth engaging.
And that is why, even as hordes of their fellow students headed off to sunny Florida for spring break in 2009, Jimmy and Mike set out on a chilly and overcast morning to spend their free time peddling 600 miles through Illinois. They saw this endeavor as a way to not only provide for the material needs of women facing surprise pregnancies, but also as a way to experience—albeit in only a small measure—the endurance and commitment pressed upon women and their families by the unexpected pregnancy.
The two young men successfully completed the 600 miles, and they raised a whopping $14,000—the entirety of which they donated to a local pregnancy resource center.
To read the remainder of this article, visit clmagazine.org/topic/pro-life-activism/biking-for-babies-crisscrosses-america-to-support-pregnancy-resource-centers.
To read more pro-life articles, visit clmagazine.org.
