About Bill

Hello Everyone! Thanks for checking out my website and learning more about the first of my two upcoming fundraising bicycle trips. First of all, let me tell you a few things about me. I am 66 years old, live in Fishers, Indiana with my wife Mary and our 2 dogs, and am the Owner/Broker of CPR Real Estate LLC. Our daughter Mia is a senior at Purdue University and my son Billy lives in Denver with his wife Laura and our 2 year old grandson William.

For years, I have run, biked, and backpacked, with frequent thoughts of some day doing a big trip to experience not only the challenge, but to also raise money for a cause or an organization that could help to make this world a bit better. When Mary and I made the best decision of our lives to adopt Mia in 2002, I was convinced that I would sometime soon start an adoption foundation and hike the entire Appalachian Trail, raising many dollars in the process. Well, life took over and this didn't happen. So fast forward to 2020 and after a bout with Covid, I took the time to read some books about biking cross country. I got excited and realized there was no time like the present to do this. So I began to train and made plans for that to happen in the summer of 2021. Unfortunately, the company I was working with cancelled the trip because of Covid and then again in the summer of 2022 because of other reasons out of their control.

During my preparation for the cross country trip, I'd decided to partner with Mission Guatemala and St. Elizabeth Coleman Adoption Agency, so I desperately did not want to wait until 2023 to do a ride and raise some money for these two wonderful organizations. A good friend suggested that I join him on The Great Divide Bike Tour, which is a 7 week mountain bike ride that is mostly on gravel roads and follows the general path of the Continental Divide from Southern Canada to the Mexican border with the United States. After some thought, I decided to sign up for 3 week long sections, beginning near Teton National Park in Wyoming and ending in Grants, New Mexico. During this time, I will bike a total of 1330 miles, climb over 93,000 feet, and ride a mountain bike far more than I have in my entire life, because I am a road biker!

So whether you are a friend or a relative or someone who just had my website information forwarded to you in an email, you are probably asking, why, Bill? I guess my answer is that I want to attempt something that isn't necessarily fun or easy, has no guarantee of success, which to me means finishing and not getting hurt, and to make it just interesting enough so that people might take some interest in not only my ride, but the charitable organizations that I am trying to raise money for. I have personal experience with Mission Guatemala as my daughter and I traveled to Guatemala in 2016 and 2018 to work in the villages where so many good things were being done for those children who really don't have a chance in so many ways. And my wife's family has personal experience with an adoption through St. Elizabeth Coleman, and they couldn't have been happier with how the process went.

I am asking each of you who reads this to consider 3 things. First, if you desire to give to either one of these organizations based upon your support of my bike ride, please reach out to them on the links provided on this site or feel free to send a check made out to either organization to my home address. If you need my address, simply text me at 317-501-8500 and I will respond and ensure that your money gets to the proper charity. Kindly make sure that any of your gifts are tied into my bike ride, since I have an overall goal to raise at least a total of $100,000 for these two organizations and we want to track your tax deductible donation properly. Since many of you might have your 2022 charitable giving already allocated, you can still help by sharing this website with your friends and relatives, especially with those who might have a heart for adoption or a love for children in countries where many do not have the opportunity that many in America have. Or maybe send it to someone who enjoys biking! Finally, I am a believer in the power of prayer, and I would appreciate your prayers and well wishes for the good health and safety of all of the riders who are participating in this adventure ride. 

In conclusion, I want you to know that 100% of your donations will go to these 2 organizations. You are NOT paying for my bike ride and associated expenses. That is coming out of my own pocket and it is very important to me that it is done this way. I want to thank you again for taking your time to read this and perhaps share this site with others. I will be camping for 14 of the 24 nights that I will be out on the trails, so it is very possible that I won't be able to update my blog each day. But assuming I have the energy and cell service, I will always try to post a few pictures and share a story or two so maybe you can get a bit of a sense of what it is like out in the remote areas of Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Feel free to text or email me at bill@billgriffinrealty.com and if I can't answer your questions or talk while I am gone, I will be sure to reach out to you once I return on September 30th.   

With Sincere Thanks,

Bill

Please consider joining Bill on his journey and consider donating to an agency that is close to Bill's heart. He is cycling across country to raise money for children in need while starting a journey of a lifetime.

Follow and see Bill work towards his goal of $100,000 for the two charities. Mission Guatemala and St. Elizabeth Coleman!

To learn more about who Bill is riding with please visit: The Great Divide (the-great-divide.com)