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Zion’s Ken Schroeder and His Son Bike the Australian Perimeter For Charity

Ken and Sam Schroeder are biking around Australia to raise money for the newly established Chicago chapter of the Boys to Men, a worldwide mentoring organization dedicated supporting young men to become strong, accountable, and compassionate.

Ken, a substance abuse counselor for the Lake County Health Department, is not new to distance cycling. Nor is he new to trekking through Australia. In 1982, Ken logged 9000 miles there. And in 1984, he biked from Cairo to Cape Town in Africa to raise money for Milwaukee Children’s Hospital.

Ken’s son, Sam, a Sergeant in the U.S. Army, called his Dad from his station in Iraq one day last year. He told his father he was thinking of taking a long bicycle ride in Australia.

This call came like an answer to Ken’s prayers. Unbeknownst to his son, Ken too had been considering a cycling trip to Australia. He knew his knee was in bad shape. He knew there would be considerable financial sacrifices that would have to be made. He’d prayed for a sign.

Now, after knee surgery, and months of rehab and training, Ken is in Australian with his son. The Army has granted Sam a 45-day leave period to take the “ride-about,” as they are calling it. During those 45 days, Sam will accompany his father for the first 3000 miles of the 10,000 mile journey before heading back to Fort Bragg. The two will carry their supplies along the way in bike trailers, and will camp at night.

For more information about Boys to Men, you can visit their website here:  Boys to Men, Chicago.

You can follow Ken’s progress on Facebook , on Twitter, or on the RideAbout Website.

Check out the RideAbout video in the Featured Video section of our homepage!