An Opportunity to Empower Lives

The beginning of the new year is the best time to think about new ways in which to give back and challenge yourself in the coming year. The Face of America ride?organized by national non-profit World T.E.A.M. ?is an amazing way to do both things. Face of America provides the opportunity to welcome adaptive and able-bodied servicemen and women as teammates and to show them how much we appreciate their service and dedication to the country. The ride travels from Arlington, VA to Gettysburg, PA over the weekend of April 21-23, with an overnight stay in Frederick, Maryland. The ride has significant volunteer support with manned rest stops every ten to twelve miles, SAG wagons, skilled ride marshals, a moto team, and mechanical support.

I have had the opportunity to participate in the ride for many years and have found it to be one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever been involved with. Team Skience is an open team and we welcome riders of all levels and skillsets. If you are interested in joining our team, follow this link to the registration page (https://wtsevent.org/faceofamerica/my-hq/register/ ) and enter Skience in the "Join a team" section of the registration process.

Here are a few common questions people ask me about the ride:

1. Do I need to be an experienced cyclist? No. While being an experienced cyclist is beneficial, I have ridden with a lot of people that have little to no experience.
2. What if I don't have a bike? One of the people that rides with us each year borrows a bike from a friend of his to participate. There is also an opportunity to rent a bike from bike shops that support the ride if that is easier.
3. What if I am not a fast cyclist? Face of America is a ride, not a race. We all ride together as a group and there are stops every ten to twelve miles. Also, it is impossible to go hungry or thirsty!
4. Do I need to fundraise? The fundraising minimum ($850) is small relative to other athletic charity events and you have the option of paying the minimum yourself and not having to fundraise, or to fundraise and look to family and friends to support you. There are a lot of tools and templates that are made available to support you in your fundraising efforts.

If you have questions, or are just a little bit curious, please feel free to DM me on LinkedIn, text, or email. I look forward to riding with you in April!

Jon Brideau Sanjeev Kumar Jon Feinstein Thomas Linus, P.E., LEED AP Darryl Halterman Matt Jezyk Marc Weiss Khaled Aly Nancy Doyle-Klein John Phillips Christopher Gorman Steve McCaffrey Bill King John Quigley Dana Larose, CFA Charles Gray Lon Dolber Chip Kispert Chris Taber William Capuzzi Nelson (Nick) Graham #wearefaceofamerica #military #givingback #worldteamsports #adaptive