60 Days to the 'Little Big Ride': $50,000 Raised and Counting for Big Brothers Big Sisters

TAMUNING, Guam, July 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across America will reap 100% of the proceeds raised from one cyclist's "bucket list" dream to ride his bike 3,240 miles in 41 days across the USA.  "Little Big Ride" cyclist Joseph Husslein has already raised over $50,000 in individual pledges and corporate sponsorships – and still there remains 60 days before his kick-off in Santa Barbara, California on September 12, 2010.

Inspired by the movie "The Bucket List" where two terminally ill men leave their shared hospital room to do everything they wanted before kicking the bucket, the 48-year-old Husslein from Guam conceived Little Big Ride – a cross-USA cycling journey to raise money and awareness for his favorite charity – Big Brothers Big Sisters.  Husslein's coast-to-coast, 41-day ride will take him from Santa Barbara, California to Charleston, South Carolina by October 22.  Husslein will make his way through some of the most topographically- and climate-diverse areas in the country: from America's Pacific Coast to the southern rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, from Colorado's Aspen-cloaked mountain passes to the Ozark Plateau of Missouri, from the harsh Mojave desert to the heights of the Smokey Mountains. His shortest riding day will be 40 miles and his longest, 140 miles.  It is a cross-country journey that will take him through 11 states: California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

"We applaud the commitment and generosity of Joseph Husslein, whose heart, creativity, and money will allow Big Brothers Big Sisters to carefully match and support more youths and volunteers in enduring mentoring relationships," said Karen J. Mathis, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.  "Mr. Husslein's incredible journey serves as an excellent example of how one person's effort makes a big difference in enabling our agencies to do the work that yields the successful educational and social results that Big Brothers Big Sisters is proven to achieve."   

Vanessa Estella, Executive Director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guam, is proud of the local chapter participation:  "Joseph's coast-to-coast route covers a broad swath of the country, and is symbolic of Little Big Ride's wide embrace of all communities and local agencies.  From California to South Carolina, and even as far away Guam – which is far removed from the actual ride route – each community has the opportunity to put as much energy as they desire into drumming up Little Big Ride donations for their own local chapter."  A member of the Little Big Ride working committee, Estella personally invites local agencies interested in organizing their own Little Big Ride booster event to call for guidance.

Big Goal

Since announcing Little Big Ride last April, Husslein has steadily ratcheted up his training regimen to 500 miles weekly – mileage he hopes will inspire more people to rally behind Little Big Ride.  "I'd love to encourage people to pledge 10-cents for each of the 3,240 miles I will ride," explains Husslein.  "The way I see it, all we need is for a little more than 3,000 people to pledge as little as 10-cents a mile, and we reach our goal of $1 million."

For some, it may be an outsized dream, but for Husslein, $1 million is a metaphor for hitting his "wall" and breaking through it.  Husslein's wall came at the 90-days-to-launch milestone when he noticed the telltale signs of over-training:  a lack of desire to ride, restlessness and general moodiness.  Luckily, just at the right moment last May, he found himself riding in the Amgen Tour of California road race with none other than former pro Marty Jemison.  Jemison's strong performance (despite being years off the pro circuit) and his "You can do it!" was all the encouragement Husslein needed.

Big Support

Equally significant and motivating has been the support of individual donors and corporate sponsors whose contributions thus far total $53,321 – one hundred percent of which will go to Big Brothers Big Sisters.  Corporate sponsors to date are:  Tan Siu Lin Foundation, Veiovis, PACA Wear, Shell Guam, Mair Mair Spade & Thompson, AON Insurance, AuclaiRe International Inc., Nissan Guam, Bank of Hawaii, Coast 360 Federal Credit Union, TakeCare, GTA TeleGuam, Guam Radiology Consultants, First Hawaiian Bank, and Personal Finance Center.

Additionally, Hornet Sporting Goods donated new bicycles to "Littles" from the Guam chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters.  Other in-kind donors include the Guam Cycling Federation, TakeCare and FHP Health Center.

All monetary donations are received through the Beacon Foundation, a private charitable organization, registered and operating under Section 501[c][3] of the Internal Revenue Code, whose vision is to strengthen the capacity of people throughout the world to contribute to the global community.

For more information about Little Big Ride, visit www.littlebigride.com.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters
For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. Most children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters are in single-parent and low-income families or households where a parent is incarcerated. As the nation's largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers ("Bigs") and children ("Littles").

Big Brothers Big Sisters provides a system of ongoing evaluation and support that is proven by independent studies to help families by improving the odds that "Littles" will perform better in school and avoid violence and illegal activities, and have stronger relationships with their parents and others. Headquartered in Philadelphia with a network of nearly 400 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves more than 255,000 children. Learn how you can positively impact a child's life, donate, or volunteer at BigBrothersBigSisters.org..

SOURCE Big Brothers Big Sisters