Kudos
Mark Schultz Completes 3,500 Mile Benefit Bicycle Ride
Releases Broken & Beautiful Expanded Edition CD/DVD Sept. 25
More Than $250,000 Brought In For Orphans, Widows
CBN.com
– Nashville, TN (July 11, 2007)-- Platinum selling, award-winning Word Records recording artist, Mark Schultz, completed the 3,500 mile “Across America” benefit bicycle ride for which he set out on May 7 with his back tire sitting in the cool waves of the Pacific Ocean at Newport Beach, CA. With his front tire in the Atlantic Ocean at Wallis Sands State Beach in Portsmouth (Rye), NH on Friday, July 6, Schultz can look back on a successful journey that brought in more than $250,000 to benefit orphans and widows through the Family Christian Stores James Fund. The ride also generated a documentary and new music to be featured in the Broken & Beautiful Expanded Edition CD/DVD releasing Sept. 25.
After traveling 84 miles his first day, Schultz’s longest ride came near the end of the adventure, riding 200 miles between Canandaigua and Rotterdam, NY June 30, and ultimately completing the journey six days early.
“Wow! I didn’t know I could do this,” exclaims Schultz after reaching the Atlantic and realizing a goal accomplished. “To ride across the country on a bike is something, but the real accomplishment here is what happens to lives as children and widows receive the benefit of the monies raised. I can’t thank enough the people that have supported me throughout this journey, from my crew on the road, to the people at the James Fund, the sponsors, all the encouraging souls I have met along the way and especially my wife and the orphans who gave me the courage to do this. I could not have done this without them.”
Mark Schultz finishes his Across America benefit bike ride in the Atlantic Ocean on Friday, July 6.
Donations to help orphans and widows are still being taken. Get more information on how to participate.
In addition to riding his bike, Schultz also stopped along the way to perform concerts featuring music from his acclaimed, best-selling album, Broken & Beautiful (Word Records). At one of these concerts held June 26 in Hudson, OH, Schultz recorded a live version of his No 1 hit single, “I Am,” and the song, “Walking Her Home,” which has an alternate ending. These new recordings will be included in the Broken & Beautiful Expanded Edition CD/DVD to be available September 25 at retailers everywhere. The recording will also feature the song “Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing” from the WOW Hymns 2007 release.
The new expanded edition will further feature a “Mark Schultz Across America” documentary of this never-before-done artist bike trek, as well as Schultz’s “Everything To Me” concept video, behind-the-scenes footage, clips of Mark talking about his songs and the song-writing process, bloopers and more.
Among the many highlights of the Across America bike tour, many to be featured in the documentary, Schultz was able to make a special guest appearance June 8 at the Klicks for Kids photo exhibit. The exhibit featured the artwork of 67 Kansas children currently waiting to be adopted and was hosted by the agency from where Mark was adopted as a child, The Kansas Children’s Service League. As a Kansas native, Mark was also encouraged by the spirit of fellow Kansans as they worked to clean up from the wake of an F5 Tornado that became one of the worst natural disasters to strike Kansas. On May 31, he toured through Greensburg, KS, where much of the devastation had occurred, and decided to donate 100 percent of the proceeds from his concert in Dodge City, KS that evening to relief efforts in the Greensburg area.
While the proceeds of that concert went to the local community, the people at Schultz’s concert June 29 at the Wesleyan Church of Hamburg, NY raised over $20,000 for orphans and widows. Later that week (July 1), Schultz had the opportunity to ride with three former orphans from Poland and their adoptive mom while traveling from Rotterdam to Troy, NY. Inspired by the cause of Mark’s ride, the family also raised money per mile for the James Fund as they rode with Schultz.
On June 10, Mark was featured live on CNN Sunday Morning, which was one of the many opportunities he had to talk with both local and national media about the purpose, hopes and goals behind his cross-country journey. For a behind the scenes look at the CNN interview, as well as an up close and personal look at the Across America journey, go to www.MarkAcrossAmerica.org/blog, where Schultz posted daily video updates. Schultz also completed daily 60-second updates from the road through Westar Media Group that were heard by listeners of over 100 stations across the country.
Schultz was also encouraged by numerous supporters and well-wishers as he biked. Tracking his progress on the map online at www.MarkAcrossAmerica.org, fans along the route would hold up encouraging signs, offer him food and water, ask for autographs and even join him for a few miles on their own bikes.
In addition to the over $250,000 raised through the bicycle trip across America, Schultz and the Family Christian Stores James Fund are partnering together to raise more support for widows and orphans through an online auction. Items currently up for bid include a Tim McGraw guitar, Brett Farve jersey, Kenny Chesney autographed photo and more items from various celebrities. The proceeds from the auction will go directly to support hands on work with orphans in the US and abroad, adoption assistance for families bringing orphans home to a forever family, and for quality of life improvement for widows who are in distress. To make a bid on an item visit http://markacrossamerica.org/auction.php.
Courtesy of Hoganson Media Relations
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