This summer, Biking for Babies marked the end of a cross country ride for dozens of young men and women who sought to raise awareness of the pro-life cause, and to raise funds for pregnancy care centers nationwide. This marked the group’s 12th national ride.
As previously reported by Live Action News, Biking for Babies is the brainchild of two college students, who loved both endurance sports and the pro-life cause. In 2008, Jimmy Becker and Mike Schaefer conceived the idea of pairing a test of physical strength, like a long bike ride, with a fundraiser to support pregnancy resource centers. They were the lone riders for the inaugural 600-mile ride the following year, but since then, the team has grown to include 50 riders.
In 2013, Live Action News shared a recap of Biking for Babies’ five rides to date. At that time, they’d raised over $130,000 for pregnancy care centers, and ridden over 4,600 miles. By 2019, the organization had raised over $500,000. For 2021, the riders set a fundraising goal of $225,000 to carry them over the $1,000,000 cumulative mark. So far, they have raised $176,000 toward that goal.
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In a video interview with EWTN’s Pro-Life Weekly, Biking for Babies Executive Director Nikki Biese shared that four teams of riders have been training “physically, mentally, and spiritually” since March for their July 11th-16th ride. The routes are “anywhere from 600-800 miles” each, and launch from Wisconsin, Ohio, Mississippi, and Colorado, which all end at a Celebration of Life in St. Louis. Biese commented, “The goal really is to be visible signs of Christ’s sacrifice. We wear bright yellow jerseys trying to really get attention to change people’s hearts and minds about how our world responds to crisis, and that there’s no need for abortion in our world.”
Asked how biking can help the pro-life cause, Biese, who was once a rider herself, responded, “We’re here to start that conversation [about supporting women in crisis pregnancies]. It’s very non-confrontational, very loving. People start to understand, ‘ok, I see what you’re doing here. What are these pregnancy resource centers?’ We’re able to share their stories of lives saved, stories of lives lost, and people realize that these centers need our support because they are providing alternatives to abortion that respect the dignity of both the mom and her unborn child.”
Biese shared that “every missionary is paired one-to-one, missionary to pregnancy resource center. The missionaries really get to know them, know their mission, learn what they need to be supported and to serve these women. Every center receives that missionary advocacy to raise awareness for their center and also a financial contribution at the end of the year.” In a Facebook video, this year’s riders gave shout-outs to their partner pregnancy resource centers in numerous states across the country.
Nathalie Corbett of Springfield, Illinois, was one of the 2021 Biking for Babies riders. In a Facebook post, she reflected on what motivated her to persevere through fatigue, rain, heat, flat tires and other mishaps.
“With this mission, it’s easy to keep going when you think about the women going through the pain and grief of an abortion, the pain and loneliness of not having the familial support in keeping a child, the loneliness in not knowing that God loves them, and the anxiety they must feel when they are cut off or in a difficult financial situation,” she said. “There were so many obstacles that we were presented with and we got through it all. We were able to do it because we this journey isn’t for ourselves — we’re doing it to build a Culture of Life and to make abortion unthinkable.”
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