Smiles 4 Miles TOUR
Did you ride a bicycle when you were a kid?
Do you have an old bicycle lying at the back of your garage?
Bike riding contributes to the uplifting of your spirits, improves your mental health, and saves the planet from pollution.
But, the heart-wrenching truth is that not all kids are fortunate enough to have a bicycle. Not every child can experience the joy of riding a bicycle and having the freedom to explore the stunning beauty of the surrounding region.
Your old rusty bicycle might be completely worthless for you, but for someone with a less privileged background, it could be the most unforgettable and precious gift they have ever received.
SMILES 4 MILES is an advocacy bike tour 2021 throughout America with an aim to provide every kid regardless of nation, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic stratum an opportunity to own and ride a bike.
Our sole purpose is to establish the next generation of cyclists and empower every kid to experience a sense of independence while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
We are dedicated to collecting old bikes and funds to help less privileged families overcome the challenges they face in covering long distances on a daily basis, attain individuality, and thrive at their highest potential.
Our Mission
We are committed to bringing a positive change through the immense power of bicycle riding. We are planning to load a box truck with bikes and their parts and travel across 10 different states in August. Each chosen state has a local bike shop. We will be striving hard to connect the community and local bike shop while ensuring people that their local bike shop has the capacity to assist unprivileged families in having a healthier lifestyle that cycling offers.
Our goal is to form a constructive bond between families and local bike shops for the benefit of the whole community. We will also guide individuals regarding the proper maintenance of bicycles such as adjusting gear and fixing the bike flat. Also, we will teach them the positive effects of cycling on the physical and mental health of an individual.
About Creator
My name is John Shackelford and I am an AFRICAN AMERICAN male. As an adventurous, ambitious, and passionate person to play a key role in establishing a society where no one lagged due to socioeconomic, racial, and indigenous factors, I was inspired to start a campaign and donate as many bicycles as possible to the less privileged families. With my personal experience of 10 years in the cycling industry, I have understood the positive impact of cycling on society as a whole. Last summer was the time when I and 4 other African American individuals decided to bike 1100 miles along the Underground Railroad and during the trip, we collected adequate funds to give bikes to those who deserve the most. Fortunately, we succeed in giving almost 80 brand new bikes and helmets to families in Brunswick Georgia, and kids in an after-school program at Dumbar High School, Washington DC. The happiness on the face of those people was priceless and it encouraged me to dedicate my whole life to this cause and to build the next generation of cyclists.
We Need Your Support
We are looking to raise $20,000 before August to cover the bike tour expenses. You can also donate your old bikes so that we can fix them up and give them to the deserving family.
The $10k will go directly to the travel and logistics costs. The remaining $10k will be spent on the restoration and essential parts of bikes. The raised fund will cover the costs of tools used to accomplish the maintenance tasks.
Rewards
We will be offering some exciting rewards to show gratitude to our potential supporters. For backers, there will be an adopt-a-bike program. People who will support us will also get free merchandise such as shirts, cups, and supporter badges.
So, let’s together put a smile on a child’s face and remove the barrier of distance by empowering less privileged families with life-changing transportation facilities.
