SEATTLE — The three Jenkins brothers, owners of ABC pest control companies in Texas, launched their cross-country bike ride on Tuesday in Seattle. The journey ends 3,500 miles later in New York.
Bobby, Raleigh and Dennis Jenkins, are embarking on the 3,500 mile trip to raise awareness and donations for two foundations the brothers formed. The first, the Moss Pieratt Foundation, was created in honor of Bobby Jenkins’ grandson, Moss, who died three years ago from Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). He was 15 months old.
In addition, Raleigh started an orphanage called A Child’s Hope, where homeless or abandoned Haitian children can grow up in a Christian environment. He was inspired to create the non-profit organization after he made several mission trips to the area following the 2010 earthquake. So far, the organization has drilled five wells, supported a local school and built their first home.
Bobby is collecting donations for the Moss Pieratt Foundation, Raleigh is collecting for A Child’s Hope and Dennis is raising money for both foundations.
The brothers aim to travel 70 miles per day over a 55-day period, with their mother and Bobby’s daughter Chelsea following closely in a vehicle to support them and handle their social media.
Those interested in following the journey can see updates here, where anyone can sign up for email alerts and track the progress of the journey on a map.
Donations can be made to either foundation here.
As of this writing, they have completed two days of their trip and are currently in the state of Washington. Here is an excerpt from their blog:
Hitting the road early in the morning for day 2, the day started off with drizzle, clouds, and chilly weather. The three brothers climbed their way through the incredible scenery into the Cascade Mountains. Through the tough and humbling climbs, they climbed a total of 6,500 feet and averaged 12 mph speed, as 80% of their day was uphill. With the next town being over 70 miles from the day’s start, the brothers took a much-needed lunch break on the side of the road before getting back to the grind of the hills. To say it was hard is an understatement, but all three men kept their spirits high and kept grinding along up each incline. After 8 hours of biking and almost all the way up the Washington Pass, they stopped for the night, clocking in about 50 miles for the day. The crew drove to a nearby town and found a wonderful hotel in Twisp, Twisp River Suites, where they decided to stay two nights (thanks, Joe!). After a long day, they had margaritas and Mexican food at La Fonda Lopez before an early night in.