Bowery Mission Project: The Journey Continues

Chuck Monts and wife Deb have just five days remaining in their cross-country fundraising journey to benefit the Bowery Mission Project in New York City. Morrisons Cove Herald readers may recall reading about this planned journey in late May. Chuck accomplished his goal of bicycling from Los Angeles, California, starting on June 5, arriving back in Pennsylvania on Thursday, July 22, a few days earlier than expected. His goal of raising $100,000 for the Mission, however, is still a work in progress.

On Saturday evening, July 24, Chuck hosted a meet and greet at the Hollidaysburg YMCA to recount his experiences and share his motivation for the journey. He started his talk explaining how he learned about giving and serving others from his parents, starting at age eight, with giving his Light Bright set to a missionary’s daughter who was visiting.

Chuck has traveled 2,650 of his planned 3,000 miles. He has five days remaining, with a final destination being the Bowery Mission in New York City. To date, he has raised about $25,000.

At age 18, Chuck and some friends bicycled across country, and he has always wanted to repeat the feat. After two years of planning, he finally convinced Deb that his job at the Bowery Mission was again his calling to serve others.

The LA Mission became his largest sponsor, donating $10,000 and two bicycles. This astounded Chuck, given that the LA Mission serves 90,000 homeless people who are living on the street, while the Bowery Mission houses 78,000 people in humble shelters. That was the first of many lessons learned on this trip that he could do a better job at welcoming and serving people who are asking and deserving of help.

What a trip it has been. In Nevada, where there were no side roads, riding on interstates was permissible. Though that may sound harrowing, Chuck debated with the group that bicycling on Admiral Peary Highway traversing the mountains between Pittsburgh and Hollidaysburg were arguably more dangerous with less cars but shorter shoulder. The biggest challenge of the interstate was the numerous flat tires caused by flakes of metal that fly off of radial tires.

After a daily goal of 120 miles, Chuck and Deb stayed at churches, sleeping on cots. Before the trip, Chuck made approximately 350 telephone calls to churches across the country, asking permission to sleep in the local church. With a 20 percent success rate of call-backs, they had some interesting challenges after a long day on the road. All told, there were only six communities across the country where they did not have a church upon arrival.

Chuck experienced a new level of kindness, generosity and over the top meals that were overwhelming along the way by total strangers. He also learned not to text and drive a bike, after his only wreck that thankfully threw him into a soft, wet pile of muddy leaves somewhere west of Canton, Ohio. A passing motorist stopped and offered to help.

For two portions of the trip, Chuck was joined by friends, which he was grateful for. He was also thankful for all the drivers that missed him, noting that the three-foot rule for bicyclists can be nerve-wracking. But for 3,000 miles, you cannot think about thousands of cars passing you.

When he crossed the Pennsylvania border, Chuck admits he almost cried. He has spent much of his life in Pennsylvania, including one year at a Pittsburgh church at age 22. He returned to that church this week, staying at the parsonage, and enjoying a meet and greet with 15 people. While in Hollidaysburg, Chuck and Deb are staying with Molly and Terry Goldstein.

Terry Goldstein said, “It’s an amazing adventure and an amazing reason for him to do this trip. God has blessed this whole trip, protecting him from some of the tight calls, giving him the strength and abilities to do all that. He and Deb worked as partners for such a wonderful mission, not for himself.”

Chuck travels across Pennsylvania this week. The final 75 miles into New York, he will be joined by his son Danny and a group of riders from the Bowery. Once in New York City, Chuck plans to generate fundraising attention by others in the media, since Savannah Guthrie mentioned him on Jeopardy, and Gayle King hosted the Bowery Mission annual gala.

Continue to follow along with Chuck’s mission by checking out the “Biking for The Bowery Mission” Facebook page.