Nation's Teens Unite to Ride for Respect
This August thousands of teens from Anchorage to Atlanta and from Poughkeepsie to Poncha Springs will be pedaling five miles each in a massive movement to build self-respect and self-esteem in teens across the USA. The event is called Ride for Respect.
(PRWEB) June 1, 2005 -- July 2005 is circled on Lance Armstrong's calendar as
the month he will pursue a record-breaking seventh Tour de France victory.
Beginning the week after the yellow jersey is awarded, teens from Anchorage to
Atlanta and from Poughkeepsie to Poncha Springs will strive for a first of their
own. Pedaling five miles each, thousands of youth will join forces in the Ride
for Respect, a massive movement to build self-respect and self-esteem in teens
across the USA.
Riders build self-respect by gaining a sense of
accomplishing something worthwhile as they take the time and effort to ride, as
well as collect pledges to support a cause dedicated to teens. Hey U.G.L.Y. is a
501C3 nonprofit whose mission is to empower teens with self-esteem building
tools which will help them counter challenges such as eating disorders,
bullying, substance abuse and suicide.
The Ride for Respect™ is a simple
concept with national implications. "We hope to include at least one teen in
every county of the USA," said Dr. Jim Kestner, the event's director. Kestner,
who is a board member of Hey U.G.L.Y., is one of the nation's leading
character-development experts and a cycling enthusiast. "Riders will commit to
raise $100.00 in pledges and ride their bicycles five miles during August 2005.
A map on the web will include every county in the USA; as riders complete the
event, their counties will be highlighted on the map. When visitors click on a
county, they will be able to see each rider's name, home town, and
school."
The ride is a fundraiser for Hey UGLY (UGLY is an acronym for
Unique Gifted Loveable You), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping teens
build self-respect and self-esteem. "We're developing an after-school program
that will be tested in about 20 schools during the 2005-2006 school year," said
Kestner, who is developing the curriculum and serves as Hey UGLY spokesman. "The
Ride for Respect is a special event that we hope will help us raise the funds we
need to kick off the program and at the same time introduce us to teens and
schools across the nation," said Betty Hoeffner, cofounder of Hey U.G.L.Y.,
Inc., NFP.
All participating riders will get a free t-shirt, a goody bag
of freebies from event sponsors, and a certificate celebrating their
achievement. “Most importantly,” says Kestner, “they’ll earn the feeling of
accomplishment that comes from taking part in a new teen movement for
self-respect and self-esteem. We’ve made getting involved easy, too. Riders fill
out an entry form at heyugly.org, then we’ll send them a packet with all the
information they need.”
Though riders in Paris, Illinois, will finish
4,200 miles from the Arc de Triomphe, their Ride for Respect t-shirts will serve
as permanent reminders of the day they fastened their helmets and took on the
streets of a nation, united by a cause, honored by peers for whom their efforts
will make a difference. Riders can sign up at http://www.kesweb.com/links/Rideforrespect.html.
Hey
U.G.L.Y. Inc., NFP, developed in 2001, is a 501C3 nonprofit organization whose
mission is to empower teens with self-esteem building tools, to help them
counter challenges such as eating disorders, bullying, violence, substance abuse
and suicide. Hey U.G.L.Y. is founded on the belief that heightened self-esteem
in today’s youth is the key to helping them deal with day-to-day peer pressure
and challenge. Their interactive website, http://www.heyugly.org features contests, articles from
well-respected experts, relevant news items, and provides a forum for teens to
share their ideas, concerns, and questions on topics ranging from school and
friends to world events.
# # #
Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb246224.htm