Amy Christian
A Case Worker in Chattanooga works and plays with therapeutic foster and adoptive kids providing support, advocacy and education for the children and families she serves.
She rode last year for the first time and had a wonderful experience. “We love the ride and the cause, and are thrilled to be a part again this year!” they write. “It really brings home the importance of what we do for our kids. Plus, you can’t beat the cake that was plentiful at the celebration. None of us ride on a regular basis, but most of us lead fairly active lifestyles. Last year, as we rode along, the road was smooth and easy-going. Then, after 30 miles into it, folks started dropping out like dead flies, one by one,” she says of the East Tennessee elevation challenges. “We all ended up having to scramble in the van to make up for the lost time so we could join the victorious ride in the end. “We are so thankful to Harmony for all of their hard work organizing the ride and letting us be a part of it. See y’all on the road!”

Amy Irvin
A Case Worker in Chattanooga works and plays with therapeutic foster and adoptive kids providing support, advocacy and education for the children and families she serves.
She rode in 2006 and 2007 and had a wonderful experience. “We love the ride and the cause, and are thrilled to be a part again this year!” they write. “It really brings home the importance of what we do for our kids. Plus, you can’t beat the cake that was plentiful at the celebration. None of us ride on a regular basis, but most of us lead fairly active lifestyles. Last year, as we rode along, the road was smooth and easy-going. Then, after 30 miles into it, folks started dropping out like dead flies, one by one,” she says of the East Tennessee elevation challenges. “We all ended up having to scramble in the van to make up for the lost time so we could join the victorious ride in the end. “We are so thankful to Harmony for all of their hard work organizing the ride and letting us be a part of it. See y’all on the road!”

Ashley Clemons Jordan

The Adoption Tour really puts the adoption journey into perspective for me. As with adoption, the experiences and emotions are many…joy, pain, suffering, longing for “home”, support, pleasure, and excitement. When times become difficult during the training period or the Tour itself, I remind myself that my physical pain is negligible in comparison to the emotional, psychological, physical, and/or sexual pain that children in the state’s child welfare system have been subjected to and experienced. My experience of the Adoption Tour and the adoption journey carries over into my work with adoptive families and allows me to have even greater respect, empathy, and zeal for adoption.  If you are committed to your decision to adopt, have realistic expectations, and a thorough understanding of yourself, Why not? There are hundreds of children in the state of TN alone who need loving, safe, permanent families. They are missing out on their childhood due to being in state’s custody. Children in the state’s welfare system have experienced trauma in more ways than we can ever imagine. They all have their own, individual story. The “Journey Home” is that time when they have been claimed and are given the blessing of a forever family. To me, the “Journey Home” is when the process of healing and attachment can begin. 

Ben Wencil

My father (Doug Wencil) rode in the tour last year and I got to see him come through Nashville with the other riders on the tour for the celebration.  I was so proud of my dad that day because I knew how hard he had trained and prepared for the ride. I chose to ride in the tour this year because I work with students who are mentally ill and/or have conduct disorders.  Many of these wonderful children often come from terrible homes. While working closely with these children, I have had the opportunity to see the amazing effect it has on the children who find amazing adoptive parents and create a better home for these children.  What do I like most about the tour? Well, riding across the state of Tennessee is no easy task and I can not think of a better reason to ride 433 miles but for the support of adoption awareness.  If someone were to ask me “Why should I adopt?” I would say, If you could meet some of the wonderful children that I work with everyday, you would want to help provide these children with the best possible support and home that you could.  My students already know about my participation in the tour and they ask me everyday if I am going riding today or this weekend.  I can sense their excitement about it and it only helps to further motivate me to train harder.  Thank you again for the opportunity to ride for an awesome cause.

Brandon Corlew

Brandon comes to us from DFA (a church in Dickson, TN).  Through his love of cycling he has made a commitment to help others.  This is Brandon’s first year on the tour and he is wildly excited to get started.   Brandon ran into the tour last year as we passed through Dickson and was immediately hooked.  He looks forward to “celebrating home” the many children in state custody.

Bryan Caviness
A serious cyclist, Bryan is also a professional bike mechanic in Johnson City, TN. He is also a student at East Tennessee State University who enjoys mountain biking, soccer, hiking and camping. His grandmother was adopted. “I would like to help raise an increased awareness of adoption to people and to show my support for it,” says Bryan who says the happiness of a child being adopted serves as his motivation. “I would like people to understand that children who need to be adopted are just regular kids.” Brian is a collegiate mountain bike racer who races cross country, downhill, short track, time trial and dual slalom. He’s been mountain biking for about nine years.

Catherine Loke

There are so many children not only in Tennessee, but around the world that need loving families and a place to call home. I’m looking forward to promote a great cause like this. I really like how the tour is not just a single evening spent at a fundraiser to promote awareness for a cause. It requires months of training, commitment and perseverance. The tour focuses my attention to working with children and families everyday.  Adoption allows a child an opportunity to be part of a family. That is the greatest gift anyone could offer. The “Journey Home” to me is about the highs and lows of finding that right fit. Discovering that adoptive family who will be there for a child through thick and thin. The adoption process or journey can be a long road, but along the way are hundreds of people that are looking out for each other and offering support.

Chris Beach

I am Chris Beach, a 37 year old husband and father of three.  I was adopted as an infant, and I work with an agency (Omni Visions) that does many special needs adoptions.  Born in Johnson City, TN and occupying it and Greeneville for the duration of my life I enjoy the beauty of our Mountains.  Time for hiking/walking in the mountains lessens with responsibilities of a wife & children, so riding provides a great exercise alternative.  It speeds up the amount you can view in a shorter time frame.  I was fortunate enough to cycle the last two days of the tour in 2007.  It was tough, but I loved it and wanted to ride the whole tour.  I am blessed to ride in the tour this year and look forward to the full tour experience.

I decided to ride because at the time I was fostering a child and now I have adopted him.  He is 28 months old and we have had him since he was 10days old.  If I could tell someone one thing about it adoption I would tell them that it can bring joy into your life.  There are so many kids in the world today that need a loving, caring environment and you could make a difference in a child’s life.  I like the idea of giving a child the opportunity to be loved and succeed in life.

David Jordan
For 12 years, David has served as executive director for AGAPE Child and Family Services in Memphis. “As executive director, there are many ways I support, recruit and develop programs for adoptive families. This is a more personal way of showing and being a support to adoption. Adoptive families are an inspiration to me, especially those who adopt older youth or sibling groups,” David says. “Adoption occurs at a physical, emotional and spiritual level. At varying levels, most of us are adopted. Whether emotionally when you move somewhere, work somewhere or have a different circumstance and someone adopts you to provide the emotional support you need. Or physically adopted. Or spiritually adopted. Adoption is far more of each of our lives than most would think and consider.”

David Lavelle

My parents were foster parents for a time, my wife’s parents adopted 2 children, fostered another 4-6.  My wife and I have been respite care foster parents.  I’m on the board of AGAPE.  I want people to know that when you adopt your life will be blessed every minute by that decision and others lives will be blessed by that decision as well!

Dawn Bertotti
Call her Aunt Dawn, because she has 29 nieces and nephews! When she’s not with family or in training for the Adoption Tour, Dawn enjoys photography and her job as administrative assistant for the Department of Children’s Services main office in Nashville. “All of the hard work that goes toward an adoption is similar to what we riders go through in training. Making it to the finish line is so rewarding, now matter how long or hard it is,” she says.
This will be Dawn’s third Adoption Tour, having ridden in 2006 and 2007. “My motivation is a combination of trying to exercise for health, the fact that last year several member of my family said I would never make it, and Elizabeth Black’s and my experience in 2005, when we had no earthly idea that a “leg” of the Adoption Tour was 68 to 100-plus miles. It’s a bit of a struggle for me, because a lot of the time I seem to be at the back of the pack. But, I’ve met a lot of wonderful people and made so many more friends through this experience. No matter how hard, it all makes for wonderful storytelling every time we get together.”

Dawn Puster
Dawn works for Youth Villages and lives in Christiana, TN. When she’s not cycling, she spends most of her time with her family: husband Jeff, and sons Reilly and Jakob. She also loves traveling. She’ll be traveling across the state of Tennessee alongside the very inspiration for her participation, “the community of individuals who make a statement through such a challenge of this.” As she rides, she’ll be motivated by the celebrations for each adopted child the riders honor, and her more personal connections to adoption through family and friends. “Adoption is such an important course of action that influences the direction of a child’s life,” she says. “From beginning to end, every step of the way impacts what each adopted child can become.”

Dean Harvill

Children need a stable environment; some are in desperate need of permanency.  Adoption is one of the ways to achieve permanency.  Many times adoption is seen as a last resort.  Instead it should be seen as a fresh start, a new beginning, a new journey for the child(ren) and the parent(s).  Adoption would be the biggest positive thing to happen to a child.  As an adoptive parent would you be willing to be the reason it would occur?

He wants people to know that there is support for adoptive families as they travel the journey. “Adoption Support and Preservation is a program that is cutting-edge and Tennessee is a leader, ahead of most states in making this service available to adoptive families and children.”

Doug Wencil

As this is the second year for me to ride, the decision to participate in the Adoption Tour was easy.  For a whole week you are surrounded by people who believe in the importance of adoption and are committed to making the Adoption Tour a success.  It is an amazing experience to be among such people. I am a Permanency Specialist for the Department of Children’s Services. As a Permanency Specialist, I have had the privilege of finding and facilitating permanency for 36 children.

I believe every family considers adoption at one time or another.  If you are considering adoption, there is a child or youth that is waiting and wanting to be a part of a family just like yours.

Eric Murray

This will be my second time to ride the adoption tour. Last year it was a matter of combining my interest in cycling with my passion for supporting and raising awareness for adoption. But, last year’s tour far exceeded my expectations.  The Tour does so much more than just raise awareness. It is a rolling, joy-filled celebration of our children who are seeking forever homes, the devoted state workers and agencies who serve them, and the amazing people who serve as foster or adoptive parents.  My wife and I are the proud parents of a nine year old daughter who adopted us when she was two days old. The children, and the workers who serve them, inspire me. Beyond this, I hope my daughter sees in my commitment to ride 433.7 miles, the value, blessing, and joy associated with adoption.  As I reflect on our experience of adoption, I can’t say that the journey was all that pleasant.  But, all the work required to make the journey is well worth it when you finally come home with that child.  In fact, I spend little or no time thinking about all the work that went into adopting; I’m too busy joyfully living out my role as “Dad” to my daughter.

Hans Parker
Hans works for Youth Villages in Memphis and spends his spare time enjoying triathlons, marathons, outdoor activities, reading, watching movies and listening to music. His second year in the tour, he rides to help bring awareness to adoption. The children who need a warm and loving environment serve as his inspiration. “Every child deserves a chance to have a home that provides them with the opportunity to grow and develop. Adoption offers so many children the opportunity to mature that they might not otherwise have within their current environment,” Hans says.

Hughes Johnson

I believe adoption is one of the most important issues facing children without families.  Family support is not something we get when we are young, but is a life long blessing.  Everyone needs a supportive family, especially children who begin life without familial support. Working at Youth Villages gives me the opportunity to see firsthand the needs of struggling children.  Adoption gives a child a place to “belong” and that sense of belonging can make a tremendous difference for a child.  Families can steer the choices of a child toward positive long lasting outcomes.

Leigh Ann Lawrence

This will be my fourth Tour. The past three years I have worked as support for the Tour. I had wanted to ride since the first year, but I just put off doing so. I purchased my bike in March of this year and have simply fallen in love with it. I want to ride in the Adoption Tour because of the message that it sends. We the riders and support are a team working together just like we work with the families we support. None of us would be here without the other. There are over 300 children in the state of Tennessee who may never have a forever family. All they want and all they need is a loving home to open the doors and let them in. Everyone deserves a forever family. The “Journey Home” is long and hard. There are hills and valleys but to see the ones you love waiting at the end is so worth it. The children in the state of Tennessee are just looking for the loving family. They are traveling down that long stretch of road on the journey to a home and forever family.

Jennifer Schaefer
A resident of Lenoir City with her husband and two dogs, Jennifer worked in the Department of Children’s Services in the child protective services division for over 10 years. Her husband and his siblings are adopted, which she says makes her feel closely connected to adoption. “I’m riding in Adoption Tour 2008 to raise awareness and to support adopted children and adoptive parents. I’m inspired by several adoptive parents I know whose passion and love for their “chosen child” simply cannot be expressed in words. Im motivated by the dedication of those who have put their lives into providing “forever families” for children who truly need a place to put down roots and grow,” Jennifer says. “Adoption is giving life to a child. No child asks to be born, and every child deserves a family. There are so many children in need of homes and roots and mothers and fathers, and without these things a child cannot truly be a child.” Jennifer has been cycling since 1997. She completed her first triathlon in 1998 and her first Ironman distance event in 1999. Since then, she has completed numerous bicycling events, including several century rides, a few trail races, and the Adoption Tour in 2006 and 2007.

Jim Norwood
Jim says he enjoys new challenges, especially trying endurance type activities like the Adoption Tour. He has ridden in all of the tours and works as a recruitment specialist for Harmony Adoption’s Partners in Recruitment. He has worked with adoptive families for more than 10 years, observing first-hand the positive impact a permanent family has on a child. “Michael Yates and I brainstormed the idea of the tour four years ago, as we considered how to honor and pledge support to foster and adoptive families and also get the word out that there are still children awaiting permanency,” Jim says. “I want people to know that most children in state custody waiting for a home are teens, and that the state now offers adoption support ‘wrap-around’ services at no cost to adoptive families. So, parents now have in-home services if the need ever arises after the adoption is finalized.”
Jim has been cycling for about 10 years, mostly recreational with an occasional triathlon or century ride.

I am a therapist and clinical supervisor with the Adoption Support and Preservation (ASAP) program at Harmony.  I believe in foster care adoption with everything in me and to feel this close to my families that I work with through training and participating in the Adoption Tour is a privilege.  This has been the most challenging opportunity for my own personal growth and it means so much to me to really stand and walk in the journey with the children and families that for whom I respect so much.

I want to tell people about the “journey home” and that it is just that, a “journey”. As with any type of journey you embark on (adoption, riding a bike 433.7 miles, hiking the appalachian trail), all of the planning, energy, praying, everything that goes into it…sometimes you do encounter some bumps in the road….but you just keep on keepin’ on…because at the end of the journey, there’s always something good waiting at the end of it. For our kids, that’s a forever family…and what better way is there to end a journey?

Matt Smeltzer

Matt is riding in the tour to promote adoption while “doing something he loves”.  He is a Biostatistician at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.  Here’s what Matt had to say about the tour: “I rode on the tour last year and it was truly a blessing.  It is such an inspiration to see all of the excitement surrounding the tour.  The tour helps me appreciate all of the blessings in my life, and encourages me to get involved in kids lives.”

Marlena Waters

Marlena is a veteran of the tour and has this to say: “the struggles that I face during the tour are symbolic to the struggles that families face when the family dynamic is changed.”   “There are children that need stability, children that need a place where they can feel safe, secure, and given the chance to be a kid.  It only takes one person to make a difference in a child’s life, why not let it be you!”

Michael Yates
Because Michael brainstormed with his co-workers at Harmony as they discussed their passion for adoption and bicycling, the concept of Adoption Tour was born. He rode on the first two tours in 2005 and 2006, and in 2007 headed up the support team/logistics committee. “I ride for the unclaimed,” he says of the children who have yet to be claimed by adoptive families. “I’m inspired by the parents who respond to this unique, special calling and to the courageous children who must endure the journey.” He says that adoption is “a life commitment filled with much joy, and it always involves loss. It is a very splendid and splintered thing!” A loving father and uncle to two adopted boys, Michael is a member of Alcoa Kiwanis and Westminster Presbyterian Church who enjoys competing in triathlons of all sizes. He is the project director for three programs at Harmony Adoptions: Adoption Support and Preservation, Healthy Marriage Healthy Families, and Partners in Permanency.

Nicole Young

This is my third year participating in the tour.  I value the enthusiasm of wonderful people coming together to promote forever families for children waiting to be adopted.  Along the way we find that the values of training (or lack there of), commitment, humility, humor and trust of one other, keep the wheels turning…Working in the field of treatment foster care for 13 years, the miles on the road symbolize for me the journey foster children in full guardianship are on……always riding, rarely resting, trusting they will find home eventually.  I ride to raise awareness for them.

Pat Lawler
The CEO of Youth Villages, Pat says he had worked in this field for 35 years and knows that the foster system is no place for a child to grow up. A serious bicyclyer, he rides three or four days a week, from 30 to 75 miles. He participated in six sprint triathlons this summer. “I strongly support everything the Adoption Tour stands for and believe it is critical that we help bring more attention to the children across our state who need a permanent family. “An adoptive parent basically gives the only real chance a kid in foster care has to grow up and have a life of happiness. They have the power to give someone a real chance of living their dreams,” he says. “I am so impressed with Harmony and the other organizations they partner with. They do outstanding work, and I look forward to the day when our state has fewer kids in custody and more resources allocated for the kids who really need it, like the kids who want to be adopted.” Pat rode in Adoption Tour 2006 and 2007 and says he enjoyed hanging out with people who share his passion for helping children, especially those who need help the most.     

“I also like to be around people with big ideas who want to change the world to make it a better place for kids. Helping kids is in their DNA, and those are the kind of people who seem to get more out of life and bring out the best in others. The Adoption Tour is a lot less about riding a bike and much more about adoption, sharing ideas about helping our state and providers to do a better job, and having fun and meeting others who think a lot alike.

Scott Kidd

I was fortunate to have both a loving father and mother growing up. This made a tremendous difference in my life. Every child should have this opportunity. To be loved and supported unconditionally paves the way to happiness and success in our lives. The tour simply brings to the forefront the awareness that all kids need and deserve this type of love and support. It is easy to live inside our own little personal box. We can get so caught up in our own personal stuff that we fail, at times, to recognize the needs of others. The tour forces you to look outside your box and focus on what is truly important. Raising and caring for a child is one of the greatest experiences an individual can have. My wife, Karen and I have two children of our own. Raising our children has truly been an adventure. We have experienced all the joys and all the pitfalls that come with raising children. However, the joys far outweigh the pitfalls.  The growth of love, responsibility, nurturing, and commitment in our lives makes us more rounded individuals. You see the child’s growth, both physically and emotionally, on a daily basis. You are rewarded with every success the child has, and you experience every emotion that the child exhibits. Most important of all, you experience love on a completely different level. That is an awesome experience. 

Skip Savage
Skip teaches chemistry and physics at Maryville High School. He and his wife Cydna, have two grown sons. The couple bicycled across America in 2006. Skip has friends and co-workers who have been involved in loving experiences in the adoption process, and he has also spent time in an orphanage mission in Guatemala. “The more I look at adoption, the more I see the shared love and fulfilled dreams for both children and adults,” Skip says. “I’m honored to help support this effort.” He says he is motivated by a love of travel and exploring on his bicycle. “I would welcome the chance to instill this love into children. Further, this Tour gives me the chance to ride across Tennessee for the first time on my bicycle while supporting a great cause: Adoption. Filling a child’s need of hope, love and security, adoption is one of the greatest gifts one can give to another.” Skip rode with us on the last day of the 2007 tour.

Tim Tidwell

My first Tour was in 2007 and I was drawn to it because of the opportunity to do a fully supported, multi-day, “ultra” ride across the state.  I had done several century rides and the Tour was the “next frontier” for me as a cycling challenge.  After experiencing the Tour last year, however, my motives are completely different now.  I want to ride in the Tour:

1.       to offer HOPE to the kids who are still looking for a forever home;

2.       in APPRECIATION of the agencies and people who work tirelessly everyday on behalf of these kids;

3.       and to help RECRUIT potential adoptive families.

The Tour has opened my eyes to the issues of adoption and foster parenting, and made me keenly aware of the scores of people who work so hard to help the children of our state.

Todd Flournoy

I began hearing about the ride last year through Pam Frye, Harmony. My wife encouraged me to consider riding it in 2008 and my reasons are two-fold. I love cycling and have been involved in cycling since the mid-80’s through racing and then touring/charity rides but had fallen off since the early 2000’s. I saw this as a great opportunity to get back on the bike and get my butt in shape again. Second, my wife and I have adopted two beautiful children through Harmony and I believe this could be an opportunity for me to give back in some way by raising awareness to the joys of adopting a child and providing and receiving the love of a child.  Words cannot describe our joy, peace and love we have for our two children Benjamin (4.5 years) and Madeline (2 years). Don’t get me wrong, some days are loooooooong, but we love the craziness that two children bring to our home. These two children are gifts from God and have opened a whole new world to us as adults, parents and companions to each other.

Zan Schriver
Zan is the project manager for Harmony Adoption’s Infant Adoption Training Initiative program, which provides education to health care professionals working with pregnant women, birth fathers and teens. When he’s not working, he can usually be found on his bicycle or training equipment. Zan rode in the first three Adoption Tours, and he wants this year’s event to help people understand that there are a tremendous amount of misconceptions and misunderstandings about the adoption process.
“I think the Tour gives people a way to make a more personal connection to adoption and understand it in a way that makes it real,” he says. “I guess what impacts me the most is having had the opportunity to work with adoptive parents and children and seeing the successes, challenges and many other experiences that go along with adoption. The Tour made me realize that I carry those images around with me. When I think of adoption, I see images of those parents and kids and the impact adoption has made on their lives. I ride for them and all the other kids and parents going through the process that I have never met.”

Todd Hickman

After riding in the tour last year I’ve spent the whole year anticipating this year’s tour. Adoption plays such an important role in our society that anything we can do to raise awareness is helpful. Riding a bike across the state with such a committed and enthusiastic organization in honor of such a great cause is a true privilege. I’ve worn my Adoption jersey all year and I’ve had many questions about how to get involved. It’s a real source of pride for me to think that I’ve played a small part in something so positive for so many children. When I think of the process and rewards of adoption, riding a bike across the state is similar in that it requires commitment to the unknown, preparation that can’t be sacrificed belief in your ability to overcome all, for a goal that’s priceless. My goal is to make it safely to the other end of the state with all of the other riders after having been a part of a significant increase in interest for kids that need to be adopted in Tennessee.

Greg Galewski

I have been cycling long distances with my 8 children (half of them adopted) for several years now, so the chance of riding across the state got my attention right away. The real motivator that convinced us to ride in the Adoption Tour was the chance to promote adoption as an adoptive family, in a way that children and families can relate to… on a bike. My wife Cindy and I, along with our 8 children, are a Tennessee forever family. We have grown our family to its present size thru multiple adoptions. As foster and adoptive parents we see and understand the need all children have for a permanent home and family. Thru the Adoption Tour we strive to encourage and celebrate the children and parents who are making the journey of adoption to become a family. We hope our efforts help get the message out as we broaden our search for families willing to open themselves to the children still waiting to belong to a forever family. This is my 3^rd year to ride the Adoption Tour. Not only has it affected me, but it has inspired our entire adoptive family. We have grown into a family of cyclists and advocates. While most of our 8 children, both birth children and adopted children, are avid riders, 3 of them are riding with me this year on the tour. 

Paul Galewski

I have been riding for two years now. Last year I rode in the tour and had the time of my life! The reason I want to ride in the Adoption tour is to spread the awareness of adoption. My mom and my dad adopted me and my two brothers in 1999, and my sister a few years later.  My favorite hobby is riding, and I am directly connected adoption, so the tour was the perfect opportunity. I like the feeling at the end of the tour, “I just rode 433.7 miles for hundreds of children waiting to be adopted.” 

 I decided to ride in the tour again this for many reasons. The 1^st would be my family, because half of us are adopted and we have fostered kids in our home. I ride to honor my family for these reasons. The 2^nd reason is for the kids that have found their forever families or are currently searching. The last and most important reason would be for every Child/Adult that never found their forever families. I ride for them.  I am a 9^th grader at Dyersburg High School. I am currently taking all the advanced and honors classes there. I swim on the Dyersburg Dolphins swim team, run cross country for my school, a member of the marching band (I’m in the pit), and involved in several school clubs. The thing I like most about the tour is …….well there is more than ONE thing it’s more like THREE things. I love the people that are along on the tour (riders and support) and the people you meet. I promise you on last year’s tour I learned more about adoption in five days than I have my whole life!!!!!  The second thing I like about the tour is the fact that the route we take represents the journey the kids make to find their forever families. I just love that!!!!!  The main thing I liked is the message we get to tell everyone across the state along the tour. That would be my favorite part about the tour!! J!!!

James Galewski

I have watched my dad ride for the last two years, and watched my 14 year old brother & sister ride last year. I drove our van as a SAG vehicle for all of their long training rides last year. That gave me a chance to get to know the other tour riders from West Tennessee as well, and to experience just how dedicated they all are. I really think it is awesome what they were doing to promote adoption by riding bikes across Tennessee and I just had to take part in it this year on another level. This is my first year riding in the Adoption Tour, and I have already noticed how tough it is to schedule the time to train, and how difficult it is to put in all those miles leading up to this journey. As I watched the tour the last two years and prepare for this year’s ride, the tour and its parallel journey of adoption show me how difficult the journey home is for all the kids still needing a family. And like the bike riders, the kids and families taking this journey have a great support team behind them. I want to tell people about all the great kids that still need a forever home. These kids are my heroes. Above all their struggles, they hold onto hope that they will find their forever family.