2015 Day One - Saturday, 6/20 -Manchester, St. Bridget to Hartford to St. Margaret Mary Parish, South Windsor

We gathered at St. Bridget with the hope of leaving right at 8:00 am. One by one those expected to ride that day showed up. We parked our bikes, we all looked cool in our BTC cycling jerseys. The weather was great. Cue sheets were passed out. Riders, 9 of us, stocked up out water and/or Gatorade.

Shortly before 8:00 we got together to take our first photos. Eric stopped by to wish us well. Wayne came over and joined us in the photo. Our new cyclists, Greg, Gary, and Matt were anxious to begin. We gathered in a circle and I lead us in prayer to send us off on our 2015 journey that would again change our lives.

Believe it or not we got on the road before 8:00 am. We had a comfortable ride into Hartford. We were hoping to be in Hartford at South Congregational Church to meet Matt Siracusa of the Sparrows Ministry he started where he feeds up to 500 homeless there at the church every Saturday morning from 5:30 to 9:30 am. The mission of Sparrows Ministries is to show the tangible love of Jesus so that our brothers and sisters may experience Him in a real way. I think we truly understand this mission as I believe we do likewise.

When we arrived there we not many folks there, mostly staff. Got to meet Vicki Silva who coordinates this ministry for Matt.

I found out that she worked at Aetna when I was there and we got to share a few stories. I provided Vicki with many of the business cards that End Hunger CT gave us to pass out for their Free Summer Meals program where any child 19 years or younger can get free meals, breakfast/lunch, lunch/supper, by calling 211 or texting or going on the End Hunger website to find out when and where he closest spot the meals will be served. An awesome program and we had no idea at that time how many of these cards we would pass out during the next six days.We did get to engage some of the homeless there. Several of us got to meet Valerie and Stephan. I did not get an opportunity to speak to either of these two individuals but from what I heard later they touched quite a few of the team. I am hoping that Claire, Johnnie and any other team member will add their stories here.Truly the Holy Spirit guided us to this spot especially being our first stop. Wow! That's all I can say. We were all moved and our new riders were quickly immersed in what we are all about. We could not have started on a more loving, touching, meaningful note. Thank you Holy Spirit. We commented too that it was not really coincidence that the leader of this Sparrows Ministry was named Matthew.

So, after the Sparrows volunteers (by the way many form Manchester) cleaned up and left, we were left with more time than we needed to get to our next stop, which was Arbor Park with the Hands on Hartford group at 1:00.

Someone suggested we cycle over to Catholic Worker House on Clark street. We tried calling but did not get a live person so we trusted in the Holy Spirit, which we would do a lot on this year's ride, and headed over.We cycled on Park Road for the first of many times over the next three days and got to Catholic Worker within a half hour. Luckily Brian Kavanagh was home. He invited us in and provided the education about Catholic Worker that our new riders had to hear and was a refresher for those of us who were familiar with their mission.

All left there further energized.

We cycled for Catholic Worker to Bushnell Park where we would enjoy the sandwiches That Wendy stayed up late Friday night to individually make for each of us. They were yummy. She made great chocolate chip cookies as well.

We relaxed and shared our meal together and we were engaged by an older couple who were visiting Hartford from California. They were curious about what we were doing and began a dialogue with some of us about poverty in general and some of the things they were engaged in in California. You would not have expected them to be one of those that "gets it". I found myself judging and quickly caught myself that we cannot ever pre-judge anyone.

As we began to wind down our lunch time, which was nice for bonding, especially with the new riders, we noticed a man sleeping on the grass a ways away from us. Johnnie walked the two remaining sandwiches that Wendy had made thinking Tom B and Tim were riding with us that morning. We commented on what we thought he might say when he awoke and saw the sandwiches wondering who tom and Tim were and why they left him two sandwiches.

Close to 1:00 pm we walked/rode our bikes down to the pond area for "Church by the Pond". This was an outdoor non-denominational service sponsored by Christ Church Cathedral and ministered by guest priests or ministers. It was a Christian mass in the park for anyone that came by. We laid down our bikes and settled in. We were handed the Readings, greeted by the minister who would say the mass as well as Andrew May, a volunteer and a former BTC rider. He distributed the Readings and reconnected with several of us. This just seemed to be perfect and a special place for us to be. So many people began to gather round. The Service was beautiful. We shared bread and wine together and everyone extended a sign of peace by hugging each other. Awesome!The Holy Spirit at work again.

I was especially blessed as I was called over by Steve, a volunteer who seemed to be the coordinator of the Service this day. He was wearing a beautiful metal cross. I noticed the Minister as well as every volunteer assisting the service wore the same cross. Come to find out the cross an Ecclesia Cross which is representative of an outdoor church ministry which is moving Nationwide. After the Service, Steve called me over and explained the significance of the cross and what it represents. He also explained that they wanted to present me with a cross as leader of the BTC group this day. I felt very honored and got pretty emotional as a result. What a way to end the Service.

The volunteers then had those attending, mostly the needy, line up for sandwiches they usually pass out each Saturday afternoon. Also going on across the way, a volunteer Group was handing out new underwear and sox. The noticeable thing was that the line for the underwear was longer than the line for the sandwiches.We left Bushnell Park on such a high note. And, while there, we were reunited with Valerie and Stephan who attended the Service.

We gathered ourselves and began our ride to South Windsor and St. Margaret Mary's parish. The ride over was not bad. No problems going through the North end of Hartford although the road was bumpy in places. Passed out quite a few Free Summer Meals cards along the way. Riding in the back was a bit different for me this year. New perspective. Watched the development of the new riders from a distance. ai enjoyed the company of Claire and Pam as I was a replacement of Wayne this year. Wayne couldn't ride this year due to a health situation.We also missed Eric, Maureen and Bob but they were with us in spirit.

We got to St. Margaret Mary's with plenty of time to attend their 5:00 Vigil mass, shower, set up where we would be sleeping, meet Johnnie's daughter, Lauren, have a nice supper, and conduct our presentation although not to a

very large crowd. But it still was effective. We had those who attended write letters as an Action step and turned the night into a success.

As we did last year, we gathered around for the "word of the day".Here they are:Community (2)EnjoymentLess intense, less threatening Act out of Love not FearJust Do ItTell them your nameTrustFrustration (Valerie & Stephan)Compassion - Volunteers smilingComfortableCamaraderieHumbledHope

Done by Lou

A couple of notes about Valerie and Stefan...Stefan works at per diem jobs in construction, landscaping, maintenance etc. Valerie is in a wheel chair. When he works, he can get paid so he can buy food, but Valerie stays at the park and sometimes does not get food. If he is not working they can make it to various soup kitchens to get food. One day recently they were in Bushnell Park taking a nap. Someone pushed Valerie's wheel chair (she was not in it) into the pond. All of their belongings were in a backpack on the back and got wet. Stefan had to wade into the pond to retrieve the chair. His stuff was still wet. When he gets paid...in about a week, he was planning to go the Laundromat and wash his clothes to get the mucky smell and out of the clothes. JF

2015 Day Two - Sunday, 6/21 - St. Margaret Mary Parish, South Windsor to Hartford to East Hartford to Holy Family Retreat Center, West Hartford

Happy Father's Day!We had a relatively peaceful night sleeping in the church hall. We were spread out of the floor, most with air mattresses or sleeping bags. The snoring did not seem to bother anyone. It was a bit chilly though and Joan and I curled up close to stay warm. She had an extra blanket. I kept telling myself I am so lucky because I wasn't outside in the cold air, in the drizzly night. I was concerned about John Ryan who was having some stomach issues and struggled riding yesterday and wound up going home to get better. He was feeling better in the morning but not 100%. So, we lost a rider but gained one too. We also lost Gary who went home to enjoy Father's day with his family.

After breakfast prepared by Carter, nothing fancy but adequate. We said our goodbyes to Fr. Dolan and he suggested we come back next year and promised to have more people attend. We might just take him up on that. So, we hopped on our bikes, Lauren included, with our rain jackets on as it was drizzling enough, and chilly enough to start out with them on.

We were headed to South Park Inn in Hartford for a 9:00 visit with Dick Lusso, Volunteer Coordinator. He was going to give us a tour and educate us on what they do at this facility. South Park Inn's mission is to assist homeless people to improve their life situation by providing temporary and long-term housing and supportive services and to advocate for solutions to homelessness. They have been in business since 1982 and are located in the former South Park Methodist Church on Main Street. the church sanctuary was converted to a Transitional Living program in 1989 which allows men to stay for up to 2 years while they engage in education, job training, mental health or substance abuse treatment. The shelter houses up to 85 men, women and children per day, 365 days per year.

We had an uneventful but rather wet ride over to South Park Inn. We did, however, pass out more Summer Meals cards along the way. I stopped and greeted a group who were on the corner just completing a prayer service, told them what we were doing, and asked them if they knew anyone who could benefit from the Free Summer Meals program and of course they said yes and that they thought what we were doing was remarkable and definitely needed. We need that reinforcement of our mission every so often by the folks we meet on the street of Hartford or any larger city we cycle through.

We arrived at South Park Inn on time and Dick greeted us and showed us where to store our bikes for safety. He then began giving us a tour of the facility. We noticed it was quite clean and tidy. clients milled around and graciously said hello. Always a bit awkward coming into a shelter, sometimes I feel like we are intruding. But for us it is the way we educate ourselves better and have our eyes opened, especially for the first time. Dick was very thorough and detailed. He told us that clients can stay a maximum of 28 days each year. Sure doesn't sound like enough. One cool thing they have done is that they have Dental treatment for the clients. Several dentists volunteer there time and service to treat clients. Pretty awesome. Not all shelter do this. The sleeping area for men and separately for women and children were neatly kept. Not a lot of privacy but a roof over their heads.

We spent close to an hour there and had to call our next stop, Veterans Crossing in East Hartford to advise we would be a little later than we previously told them.

On the way out of South Park, we engaged a veteran, Richard. He was not homeless but frequented the shelter to stay in touch and use their services. He was so grateful for what this place did for him, to help him get back on his feet. He had made some poor business decisions and lost everything. Could happen to any one of us. He held no grudges, had no animosity, was just grateful. He shared a story with us about inheriting money from a life insurance policy on one of his parents. He was the beneficiary and said he did not have to tell anyone or share the money. He had five siblings. He did share with them evenly. Then he took his share and donated the entire amount to South Park Inn. Why? He could have used the money for sure. but he was so grateful, so indebted to what they did for him that he had to give the entire sum to them. Wow! This guy was a proud vet. And, he was not down on the VA. He used their services and said they had improved very much. We were very interested in hearing that because we were headed to Veterans Crossing which was a place were homeless veterans get help with housing, jobs, and healthcare.

Veterans Crossing is a 12-room handicapped accessible, transitional rooming house for homeless male veterans located in East Hartford. Veterans may stay for up to one year. They help residents look for work, save for an apartment and connect with support services. Vets are linked with all VA services (medical, mental health and substance abuse). Help with money management, life skills, counseling, and referrals are also available. This was really the first time we would more directly engage veterans and hear their stories.

I remember reading about the 100 Day Challenge being conducted in CT sponsored by the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness and Journey Home of Hartford. The goal of this initiative was to end Homelessness among Veterans by the end of 2015 and chronic homelessness by the end of 2016. the effort started in March and piggy-backed off of what started in New Haven. More than 140 agencies and providers were involved, impacting 85% of the state's homeless population.

The challenge ended on Wednesday, June 24, Day 5 of our 2015 ride. Governor Malloy announced the goal to end homelessness for veterans by year end is on tract. We will see. Didn't look like that from what we saw on our ride.

So, we were now on our bikes headed for Veterans Crossing. We were bringing coffee from Dunkin Donuts and snacks from what Carter had given us and cookies made by Wendy.

We arrived and were greeted by several vets as well as Amanda for CRT. We laid out the coffee and snacks and talked with several vets. One in particular was a Vietnam vet and told us he was skeptical of the VA and actually shared with Pam that, his words, "We put our asses on the line and now we find our asses in line" alluding to the wait for VA benefits. Part of the problem here is that Vietnam vets never got the recognition they deserved and do not trust the VA.

Some of the other vets did say that the VA had improved since all that negative publicity came out a short while back.

Dave engaged another individual, Robert, and we heard his story. He, too, had a successful business but made some bad investments and loss everything including his house. He was somewhat discouraged because he could not find a job. Everywhere he went he was told he had to apply online, no in house applications taken. Dave asked him about his job experiences and got a lot out of Rob and is going to get his resume and try to hook Rob up with someone he knows and see if it can be worked out to get Rob at least an interview. Good going Dave! Awesome!

Our experience at Veterans Crossing was exceptional. We decided that when we visited our Senators Offices over the next two days that we would include Veterans concerns as one of our "Asks". We thought this topic deserved more attention. Pam would be our spokesperson for this topic.

So we now headed for Christ Church Cathedral to their soup kitchen. We wouldn't be able to help serve lunch but we would be able to interact and talk to clients there. We would meet Rose there and drop off some men's clothes too. They collect men's clothes in the back of the soup kitchen.

We had a nice ride over to Christ Church. No incidents. But when we got there and approached the door to the soup kitchen we were met by a homeless gentleman named Moses. At first he was quite friendly and very talkative. But the more he talked the more animated and belligerent he got. When we said we were doing this ride for poverty awareness he went off on "his' tirade. When we said we were going down to the soup kitchen he accused us of being phony because "those" people down there were liars, not really homeless, had job, etc. He just kept going on and on. Those of us who had gotten by him and were down in the soup kitchen talking to guests had to abandon our mission and come up to basically offset Moses verbal assault on our support folks. We had to leave sooner than we wanted to as a result. It was the safe thing to do. Although much of what Moses was saying about the homeless in Hartford was true and on the mark, his delivery was too hard and a bit too scary and confrontational.

We left feeling sorry for his problem and learned another lessen as a result.While in the soup kitchen I did get to talk for one woman who appreciated what we were doing and was grateful for the Free Meal cards. She frequents this soup kitchen to keep in touch with her friends. There is a definite community with these shelters and soup kitchens. I also got to meet Rose and talk about the need for men's clothes. she said they cannot keep up with the need. I told her I would check my closet for clothes and drop them off after the ride. She said clothes my size were definitely in demand.

We also met Steve and Micheal form Church by the pond. Steve was checking people in at the door. He noticed I was wearing the cross he gave me. Michael was the guy at the Service who announced during the prayers of the faithful that he had just gotten a job. I asked him when he started work. He was to start that coming Tuesday, Day 4 of our ride. I wished him well.

Now it was time for lunch. We would go to Bushnell Park again but this time Subway. Yummy!Wendy had previous requested our Subway orders before the ride began so it was easy for her to get the orders and meet us at Bushnell Park. We had a nice relaxing lunch and interacted with each other enjoying our Subways and our snacks.

Our "friend" was still there sleeping in the park. Johnnie went and asked him if he ate the sandwiches we left him yesterday. He did and was grateful although he wondered who Tom was.

Eventually we had to leave and start our ride to Holy Family. We would get there in plenty of time to shower before supper and mass. We again found ourselves on Park Road and experienced the neighborhood. We would be on this road at least five times and I kept wondering what these people thought. They probably thought we were lost or confused. It did give us a lot of chance to interact and pass out those Free Summer Meals cards.I called Thad to see if he would drop by with Noah for Father's Day. he would come over he said.

They got to Holy Family before I got out of my shower. We had a nice visit and I asked them to stay for supper. Fr. Terry did not mind. While in our room Thad shared a story with us. A couple of weeks ago, on the feast of the Sacred Heart, the namesake of his parish where he is Choir Director, he had notice from the choir loft window what appeared to be a homeless man who looked remarkably like Jesus. He was curious because the man seemed to want to come into mass but was hesitant. He decided he would go talk with the man. As he went down to the back of the church the young man had come in and they met. Thad welcomed him and the man sat

in the second to last pew in the back of the church. During mass they young man acted strangely, stacking the hymn books neatly next to him and folding the bulletin over the pew in front of him just that certain way. Apparently he had some kind of nervous disorder. Toward the end of mass Thad was looking for the man but he was gone almost magically vanishing. One minute he was there and then the next minute gone.

Thad did not see him again until the following Sunday. This time the young man sat in the second pew in the front of the church. He again acted a bit strange. No one sat close to him. He attracted attention and was almost disruptive during the mass. the next thing that happen was that police came to the church. Apparently someone had called them because of this individual. It seems people were nervous especially with the shooting that had just occurred down in Charleston.

The police confronted the young man and it turned out that he was a new resident in the home next to the church used to house low income folks. Because he was new nobody knew him and people just were somewhat apprehensive because of his appearance and actions. All turned out well. Thad felt grateful he befriended the man. then Thad told me the man's name. It was Matthew. Seems like another Holy Spirit moment for me. And Us.

We were meeting in the meeting room as a team before supper and I asked Thad to share his story. When he got to the end everyone was stunned. Thanks for that story Thad!

So we all went to supper. Again enjoyed each other company. I was thankful for sharing some time with my son and grandson on Father's Day. Thad and Noah left while I was in the restroom and I found out Noah went around to each table and shook everyone's hand before leaving and said to his grandmother, "I'm glad you and grampa are my grandparents"

That brought tears to my eyes when Joan told me.

Noah had asked me many questions about the ride and what we did. He was very curious and wanted to know details. He thought what we were doing was "cool". He asked if I was the leader. I said one of them but we are all special. He asked if I get paid to do this. No but I told him I get paid in love. He thought that was "cool" too. I was a happy man this night.

After supper we headed over to the 7:00 mass in the main chapel. The place was packed. Father Terry presided at the mass and Fr. David lead an orchestra of young musicians. It was a beautiful beginning to mass.Fr. David welcomed us during his homily and then introduced four attendees who would speak about their fathers . It was so special to hear these kids and one older woman talk about their dads. What love!

The music was exceptional. The mass super. We were all blown away. Then I was asked to say a few words about our ride and BTC. I think I did good. After mass we greeted folks as they left and were offered well wishes and a safe ride.

It just made a great ending to a busy, eventful day.I thanked Fr. Terry for his hospitality and making this happen.

We then gathered back in the meeting room for the word of the day.

Planting a seed- touching one personVeteransInspiringCommunityComfort of the FamiliarMosesmeaningfulFathers

Done by Lou

Another thought... we met many folks who had nowhere to stay and some needed food. No one asked us for money and only Moses asked for chicken for lunch because he was allergic to pork and turkey. JF

Addendum to day two (Sunday): Among the veterans we met at CRT Veterans Crossing in East Hartford was Rob who owned his own company in Berlin, CT called Castle Rock Landscaping. Due to poor financial decisions, coupled with good weather (he does snow removal in winter) he lost his company, and his home due to bankruptcy and foreclosure. He basically went from a million dollar company to homeless. With no funds, and extremely tight job market, he is unable to even get an interview as “there are 400 applicants for each job and he never even gets interview or phone call”. He had expressed an interest in a job in building maintenance, and in fact was going to be offered a job at CRT, but the offer was withdrawn at the last moment due to “withdrawal of funds for the position”. Since I have an old friend who worked in the field of “building management and office leasing for a major corporation, I offered to help make a connection and affect an interview. I’m happy to report I located the friend whose office is in Hartford. Subsequent to our weekly BTC ride I made three calls to Rob’s temporary phone number, the director of the CRT housing in East Hartford, and received no response as he did not receive the messages. In frustration I decided to visit Rob today and was fortunate to find him two hours before he left Veterans Crossing to move in with his sister in Cheshire, CT. I asked for a current resume which he says he needs his sister’s assistance to update and make the resume more directed to a career in building maintenance. He now has my phone number and e-mail address and promises to send it to me. Our goal is to get him an interview. We now have a “plan”. The “plan” may not succeed, but in Rob I see a person who is genuine, skilled, and competent to perform a number of jobs in construction or landscaping. All he needs is a hand up, a few prayers, and someone who cares. I’ll keep you all informed as we progress. David, BTC support

2015 Day Three - Monday, 6/22 - Holy Family Retreat Center, West Hartford to Hartford to St. Bartholomew Parish, Manchester

As usual when we stay at Holy Family Retreat Center, we start the next day's ride with 7:00 am mass with Fr. John Baptist. This day would be no different and his homily about the speck and the log in one's eye would play out later in the day.

I began the day with a bit of reflection. Yesterday and today we would be without John Ryan. This was the first time since we started this ministry that BTC would ride without both John and Bob King at the same time. It was a weird feeling for me. A bit lonely in a way. I was the "leader" and I found I had to make decisions myself as to when we should leave, where we should be when, when and where to eat lunch, etc. etc. I din't mind but it was different. Only Joan and I were here from the original BTC. This was definitely a different ride for me. Glad to have Pam and Johnnie close by for support.

We left Holy Family early in order to be at the Stop & Shop on New Park Ave. We again cycled on Park Street. We would meet Kyla Jones there from Hands on Hartford and would be collecting food to restock their Food pantry which just so happened to be located at South Congregational Church where we were for Sparrows Ministry on Saturday.We got to S&S a little after 9:00 and supplied ourselves with the handout slips we would pass out to people entering the store. We would politely approach patrons from both entrances and explain why we were there. Some folks blew right by us. Some folks, those you would least expect, stopped and chatted and on the way out gave. We had a lot of interaction and collected two full shopping carts of food. Actually collected 260 lbs of food. Mondays are tough as most people already did their shopping over the weekend so it was a little slow. But it was good for us. We handed out the Free Meal Cards as well when we could. we also noticed so many people coming to cash in their empty bottles and cans. So many! Some men came buy searched the trash bins for bottles or cans right there in front of us. Reminded me of my Matthew story over and over. Jesus slapping me on the side of my head, a constant reminder. do you know that it takes more than 144,000 empty bottles or cans to generate the $24,250 Federal Government poverty level for a family of four? That's a lot of cans and bottles. Glad to see Rich Dalidowitz there. He was a natural when engaging people. He would be helping with Support today. Getting his feet wet as they say.

We had to watch the clock as we had to be at Senator Murphy's Office by 11:00. So the cyclists left and Wendy went with Kyla to the Food pantry to drop off the food. A good day's job.

Not sure but I think we cycled again on Park Street to get to Murphy's Office.

Last night we planned who would speak when we met with Kenny Curran and what our "Asks" would be. I would open the discussion. Claire would speak to Child Nutrition and the Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act scheduled to expire on September 1. Also there are two bipartisan bills regarding summer meals for children currently in the process of being introduced: the Summer Meals Act of 2015 and the Stop Child Summer Hunger Act of 2015. The first targets low-income children during the summer, and the second would provide low-income

families the opportunity to have an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card to help them purchase food. These two acts have the potential to dramatically reduce hunger during the summer vacation. Tom Sacerdote would speak to the Minimum Wage and would highlight the Raise the Wage Act bringing the Federal Minimum wage to $12.00 and the Fight for 15 which considers raising it to $15.00. Greg would speak to Income and wealth Inequality. And, Pam would speak to the Veterans Issues especially regarding Vietnam Vets.

When the time came, our session with Kenny was smoothly orchestrated. He took notes and we hope he gets back to us on a couple of items.

Our next stop was going to ImmaCare, formerly Immaculate Conception, shelter and Transitional Housing to meet with Teresa Wierbicki. We again cycled through Park Street as ImmaCare was close to South park Inn, close to South Congregational Church.

We had a educating experience there. Learned that the state is now relying on poverty centers to work together to solve the homeless and poverty conditions in the state. All shelters had to rely on the 211 system to get the homeless a place to stay. Hard to do and do effectively. Teresa mentioned they had permanent Housing for those who qualified. But if they get a higher paying job it could disqualify them from this permanent Housing. So, how is it permanent? Good question. No answer.

So now we headed to Columbus House on Vine Street. Went the way of Park Street again. Got there and met with Kathy Rogers who is the coordinator of affairs there. This Columbus House is an affiliate of the larger Columbus House complex in New Haven. This is 75 Supportive Housing units in 10 buildings on Vine Street. They are doing a great job of making the neighborhood more presentable. The owner, Emily Wolfe, of this facility has an apartment right among the lower income folks living there. She is the only Caucasian but proud to be part of the goings on. They have big plans to continue to make the area even better with a park like piece of land across the street from the complex that they intend to use as a playground for kids and a regular family area for picnic and neighborhood social gatherings. Quite an undertaking to beautify this part of Hartford. We were all impressed and we all commented on Kathy's enthusiasm for the project and her work ethic. She was a former alcoholic and rehabilitated herself and is now giving back 10-fold. Awesome!

We now headed off to Manchester to St. Bartholomew parish and Fr. Stephen. This would be Fr. Stephen's last real event before departing to St. George parish in Guilford where he was reassigned. His last day at St. Bridget and St. Bart's is June 30. guess where BTC will be going on their 2016 bike trip?

We arrived with some time to spare. The Knight of Columbus prepared our meal for the evening and were great hosts.

We didn't get many other attendees but we it still seemed like a packed house. We started the presentation right at 7:00 and it went smoothly. Pam asked Matt to explain why he participated as part of the Participation piece of PEDAL.

Matt works as a Social Worker and was able to reflect on his job versus doing the bike ride. How he saw his work from within the "trenches". His eyes have been opened to see his role with a new perspective. He has been changed as has Gary and Greg.

We were glad John Ryan and his grandson came and we would see them at Holy Family in the morning. they would both be with us, Tim cycling and John doing Support.

After the presentation we thanked Fr. Stephen and the Knights and left for Holy Family, bikes packed on our Support Vehicles. During dinner, Pam discussed the possibility of BTC doing a presentation for the Knights at a future date. Seems like this is going to happen.

Got to Holy Family, all showered, and we met in the meeting room again to discuss the Word of the Day.

Here they are:Ignorance (2)- no CluePassion - as in Kathy RodgersWow!Dedication - Give of themselves - again Kathy RodgersSubstance abuseSpeckStop & ShopContrast - Park Street vs Downtown West HartfordGenerosity of Spirit - again Kathy RodgersRules

Done by Lou

2015 Day Four - Tuesday, 6/23 - Holy Family Retreat Center, West Hartford to Hartford to St. Vincent de Paul Parish, East Haven

We again started Day 4 with 7:00 am mass at Holy Family. Then over to breakfast for nourishment. This morning John Ryan would be there with his grandson, Tim. Tim would ride (his mountain bike) and John would do support. we were glad John was back. We all missed him.

We lined up for photos and, of course, Joan had us do something fun for the picture. A good way to ease any tension before the day's ride began.

We would be cycling to Blumenthal's Office then down to East Haven and I don't think it was going to be a downhill ride all the way.

We had to be at Blumenthal's Office by 10:00. This morning, since Greg was gone, John Ryan would be talking the part on Income and Wealth Inequality but he needed the backup paperwork to assist him. We had to get it out of John's van but John was with Dave in Johnnie vehicle.

We delayed some before going up to Blumenthal's Office hoping Wendy would get the info and bring it up to John before he had to speak. If she didn't John was confident he could say the right stuff anyway.

We met with Richard Kehoe as we did the past two years. He was very receptive and welcoming. We started off the same way, I did the opening and Claire, Tom S, Pam and now John would present their "asks".

Rich had to run out and get a notepad so he could take notes. He thought we had handout for him on each topic, which we could have given him but did not bring up to the office.

All in all the meeting went well and Wendy got John Ryan the information he needed to do what he had to. Job well done. Again it was like "speaking to the choir" but the points were made. After each topic was discussed, I handed Rich Kehoe 14 letters from the past night's letter writing Take Action step of our presentation at St. Bart's.We left the Office around 12:00 and ate our lunch right in the little courtyard area in front of the doorway to Blumenthal's Office. We had to munch down as we had a long day's ride ahead of us. 45 miles. Today I would lead as I did the Cue Sheet. I actually drove it a few days before our ride started and when asked about hills, I said there were only a couple I could remember. Nothing that bad. I would regret those words.

We started off before 1:00 pm. We had no problem until we hit Maple Ave. There was construction. When I had driven it before, I was able to get through. Not today. Not even bikes. We had to do an alternate route. The police officer at the roadblock suggested we go through Goodwin Park. He told us that was the quickest way to get to Ridge Road.

We tried to communicate with our Support vehicles but could only connect with Dave. We told him where we would reconnect and asked him to communicate with the other two vehicles. we had some difficulty at this point.

I was getting phone calls while riding on my bike. Not good. I was getting frustrated but kept my cool. I wanted to be more mellow this year. After a few back and forths, we got through to everyone and came up with a plan as to where to meet. The cyclists would be taking the bike path, gravel and not fun, while the cars had to figure out where we would come out and meet us. There was not good cell phone or walkie talkie reception while in the Park.

Well, we finally all came together. No damage done.

We continued fine until that first hill. It was a doozy for sure. I felt bad because this was our real first long bike ride this year and the first hill was the worst. Luckily there were a few downhills before we hit the remaining uphills. they were a lot easier in the car. When driving the Cue Sheet I really did not notice the steepness of the hills. That's why having that one slide in our presentation showing the hill makes a lot of sense. This is part of our mission, our temporary discomfort. Noting compared to those in poverty that hit their hills everyday and they are not downhill but steep uphills with a lot of bumps and detours. I always think of our first ride and what Bishop Peter Rosazza said to John Ryan when John asked him if he could make those hills flat. bishop Peter said, no way. Just think of the poor with every pedal stroke you take. That will get you up those hills. I think we do just that now.

So we followed the Cue sheet well. We stopped at the Berlin Bike shop for lunch and a few photos. Claire got her biking gear and bike there so we just had to do a photo with the owners. We had to keep our eye on the clock as we still had a long ride and we were only 20 miles in. It was going to be a long day.

We left the Berlin Bike shop and immediately faced Savage Hill. It lived up to it's name. Most of us struggle but Tim seemed to glide up those hills. Young legs.

As we got closer to East Haven and St. Vincent de Paul parish, the skies began to look more and more threatening. Storms were predicted to hit around 4:00 pm. We were very close to the church, within 5 miles when it began to thunder. We kept cycling but the Support team was getting more and more worried with each passing minute, especially Joan.

Then it began to thunder with lightening. That was it. We pulled over on a little side road to get off the bikes but we needed the other two Support vehicles. Then the skies opened up. We were getting soaked and needed protection so what did we do? We congregated until this big full maple tree, in a lightning storm. Not the smartest thing we did this day.

We were staying somewhat dry under that tree when the garage door of the house we were facing began to open and a woman yelled for us to come over for shelter. How cool is that? This family of four were Godsends. We were welcomed and they even offered us towels until our Support came. This wasn't easy as Support had no idea where we now were. After a few calls and watching them pass by on the main road, we got them the right directions and they came to our rescue.

We packed the bikes and were lucky the rain subsided as we did so. We wished our angels goodbye and drove the remaining few miles to the parish. We were so bummed we couldn't make it the entire way on our bikes.

As soon as we got to the parish we were greeted by an intern who was hired for the summer by Fr. Tom to assist him in the many projects that needed to be done around the parish. He was very helpful as to instructing us where to put our bikes, where we would be sleeping and setting up the cots we would be sleeping on.

In the meantime, a reporter form the Catholic Transcript arrived and wanted some photos or our arrival. She wanted photos with our bikes so several of us had to go get out bikes out the church basement, which was locked. We took a number of photos with Fr. Tom shaking our hands and welcoming us. One, two, another. But it was

fun and we are hopeful there would be a nice article in the Transcript about our ride. the reporter only asked general questions and to me did not seem that interested in much details about what we were doing. Of course that could just be me.

After we got our sleeping quarters squared away, we went back upstairs for our supper. Fr, Tom had ordered food from a local Italian restaurant. I don't remember what the dish was called but it was a pasta of some sort and was quite tasty.

We enjoyed our meal and each other's company. Seemed time was going by quite quickly and it was well after 7:30 before we started our presentation. There was a few moments where I thought we would not be doing a presentation because no one was there. Then out of the blue a few folks showed up and we had enough of a group to conduct our presentation. All in all it went well and after the presentation some questions were asked. Fr. Dominic asked a few questions regarding being Catholic but we answered that our mission is non-denominational as poverty is non-denominational. We think that was what he was eluding to but could not be quite sure. John Ryan responded to a question pertaining to the National budget and the money spent on war and National Defense and something along the lines about loving your neighbor when one man got up to leave and responded that we are supposed to love those fanatics that just want to kill us. He was totally in that place where a lot of people are. I said to him WWJD. His answer to that was, yeh, what would Jesus Do? John answered that he would love those people or something to that effect. The man stormed out a bit upset. at which point Fr. Dominic said that he would have to have a talk with the guy tomorrow about loving your neighbor. So a lesson was learned tonight.

We all headed back to our sleeping area and prepared for our nightly word of the day discussion. First we determined the time we would leave in the morning. There was a 7:30 am mass which most of said they wanted to attend. We would have breakfast which Fr. Tom would have dropped off and we would leave by 9:30. Fr. Tom would not be around in the morning as he had business elsewhere first thing.Here are the Words of the day for Day 4.

Mixed FeelingsTaken Care ofNear missFeeling the LoveSorry - for them hillsTransformedListen to Support - JoanToleranceSuffering - bikers and the peopleInspiredBlessedFrustrationWhisperFamilyImpressed - TimDoing God's workHills

Done by Lou

I wanted to add a few words about the day. After we spent three days riding relatively easy 30 miles we hit the hills. There seemed to be tension throughout the ride and the day. In riding up the hills with the mandatory whining (by others not just me), the thunder storm, the tree, the miscommunication with the support vehicles, gave us a chance to talk about some of the difficulties and the things that we had to iron out. I think that the events of the day and the discussion after helped us calm the tension that had been building up throughout the week. That helps me to understand that difficulties can arise, but when folks care about each other and desire that relationships continue to grow, we can work them out. Many of us expressed feelings, solutions, fears and needs; we heard each other and responded. Really understanding the others in the group allowed us to grow. JF

Also when in East Haven, I met Maurice. He had worked for a church for 15 years and then they cut his position. They did not contribute to unemployment insurance so he was given nothing. He had saved $5,000 and he came to CT to start a business but could not. He used up his savings and became homeless. Claire

2015 Day Five - Wednesday, 6/24 – St. Vincent de Paul Parish, East Haven to Hamden to St. Mary’s Parish, Portland

We started the day after a rough night for some of us. Some snoring going on which kept some of us awake or had us move to a different location but we survived the night.

Some of went to morning mass in the chapel with Fr. Dominic. It was a nice service and Fr. Dominic welcomed us several times during mass. During his homily, Fr. Dominic talked about it being the feast day of John the Baptist. I immediately thought of Fr. John Baptist from Holy Family and his morning mass. In his homily, Fr. Dominic said how John the Baptist knew his place, knew who he was. He asked the congregation, "do you know who you are? Do I know who I am?

that made me think of the video we incorporated into out presentation about Matt Siracusa and his Sparrows Ministries.

See how the Holy Spirit works things right into our daily happenings.This set the tone for a beautiful day.

We packed up the cots we slept on and packed the vehicles, mounted our bikes and off we went. We were on our way to St. Mary's in Portland with Fr. Paul Boudreau. We had a very nice ride with few stops. We noticed that in Durham there was no power and many home had generators going. I kept wondering if we would have power tonight when we got to Portland. This was all because of the big storms from yesterday.

We crossed the Portland bridge and it was mentioned that we would be going over it tomorrow on our way into Hartford as well. I like riding on that bridge although I think a couple of riders may be a bit gun shy.We got to the parish and were warmly welcomed by Anna and Fr. Paul. The rectory was ours and several of us got to sleep in real beds. Joan and I had a nice room with an air conditioner. I felt a little guilty but not for long. Sorry team.

We all showered before dinner. The dinner was prepared by one of the parishioners. I believe his name was Tony but not sure. The pasta and egg plant Parmesan were excellent. We suppered with all the volunteers that greeted us and we then prepared for the presentation. I was set up with my own microphone while the rest of the team would use a hand held mic.

The turn out for the night was excellent in our opinion, our largest audience by far. Fr. Paul was a little disappointed but we were ecstatic. Fr. Paul introduced us and commented on his being a good past friend of Johnnie F and also an old classmate of Tom Sacerdote.

The presentation went very well. We were on target this night. I had some difficulty telling my Matthew story which I have told hundreds of times but still get choked up when I say it could have been Jesus.

I also tied in this mornings homily with the video and everyone seemed to gasp at each Matthew moment I mentioned. After we finished and were going to go over and share dessert with the parishioners, Anna came over and asked if she could give me a big hug. She was a bit emotional over my story and we hugged tightly. I so appreciated that.

these folks were awesome. Fr. Paul was awesome. St. Mary's is a wonderful parish! We were all blown away.We had wonderful conversations. I was peaking with a few folks at one table for quite a while and when the gentleman got up to leave with his wife I then realized he was blind. Just got a chill typing that. He was so "normal". we tlaked about so many things particular to social Justice. He was a remarkable man.I think we all felt very lucky and blessed coming to this parish.

Later we all met in the dining room to discuss the word of the day. We had a great night of sharing with some emotion in particular. I love this group and feel so honored and blessed to be part of this team. I thank God for the opportunity to do this each year. Yes, it is difficult and takes a lot of time and dedication and I get frustrated and complain some but I will not stop doing this until I can't type and email, make a phone call, solicit a parish, invite people to ride with us, and ask for assistance when needed. I thank you all for being part of BTC.

We first discussed the time we would be leaving in the morning. That would be 8:00 as. We were going to stop at Claire's nephew's auto garage on the other side of the Portland bridge and also stop at Tom Sacerdote's son's farm for a bit before getting into Hartford at the End Hunger CT blitz for Free Summer Meals by 10:30.Here are our words of the day, Day 5.

Opportunity to live their Faith - Fr. Paul

donutsnot sexySuccessChallenge - the biking and the people in povertyMore advocacyHumorJudgmentalOverwhelmed - Gary, MattStoriesNext weekChangedPresentation - more real, focused, shorter, better - JoanHappinessCompassionThank You to new riders and SupportFaith - RenewMatthewDo I know who I am - Fr. DominicLives should glorify God

Done by Lou

2015 Day Six - Thursday, 6/25 – St. Mary’s Parish, Portland to Hartford to MACC, Manchester

We got ready relatively early in the morning as we had to leave Portland by 8:00 am because we would be making two additional small stops before getting to Hartford.

We had a simple breakfast with Fr. Paul. One by one each cyclist or support person came into the kitchen for freshly made coffee, some bagels or cereal.

We gathered outside with the same group of parishioners who hosted us last night, Anna, Jackie, and friends. We did our usual photo op and got on our way with a lovely send off. We really appreciated the hospitality of this parish.

Our ride first took us over the Portland Bridge again. On the other side we briefly stopped to say hello to Claire's nephew at the auto garage on Main Street. We posed for a photo or two and headed off to Tom's son's farm in thee Wethersfield area. We got there with enough time to relax a bit and for all to check out the animals and take photos. what is so attractive about pigs? We did get some fresh eggs though.

We got to the Campfield Library earlier than expected. No one form End Hunger Ct was there yet but the Library staff let us in. We chatted with the staff, told them why we were there and waited for the Blitz to begin.End Hunger folks arrived within 15 minutes. Dawn was our contact and she was friends with Johnnie and Matt so it was a nice reunion as well. They all had on cool orange tee shirts and they would be handing them out to the 40 or so volunteers from the neighborhood who would be conducting the blitz. Each volunteer was assigned one of 10 zones. Each zone was determined by the poverty level in the respective schools in the area. The actual blitz was not going to start until closer to 12:00 noon but we had a chance to interact with all the End Hunger folks as well as some of the volunteers and a few of the state representatives that showed up. too bad there was no press there for what we thought was an important event.

Free Summer meals for children 18 years and younger. Call 211 or text or go on the End Hunger website for the location closest to get those meals.

We handed out so many of the little business size cards while on our ride. We kind of wished we could end our ride here and help with the blitz on our bikes. That would have been cool. but we had to be in Manchester and at MACC by 1:00.

So I gathered up the troops and we headed off to Manchester. As I checked my watch, I realized we would most likely be a little late. But then I wondered what kind of finale would we have this year. Our Finales seem to always be challenge for getting attention. Never really a lot of publicity even though we hammer it home with our Press Release.

and like a couple of years ago when the Affordable Care act passed on the same day as our Finale, we got the good news that the Supreme Court upheld the subsidy part of the Act and it would keep 8 million people from losing their HealthCare that they obtained through the ACA.

As we cycled along Sliver Lane, Claire seemed to really slow down. She was struggling and we weren't on any hills. We checked out her bike and sure enough she had a flat tire. Our only one. but, we were running behind and we really didn't have time to fix it so she jumped in the car and packed her bike. Pam and I were now very far behind the rest of the team. They did not realize Claire had a flat and we were not there. Pam had started out to catch up a few minutes earlier than I did. She is a real trooper. She cycled her butt off to try and catch up. It was hard. I found it difficult as well. I finally caught up to Pam but we were still behind the group. I had given them the word to keep cycling at a more moderate pace so that we could catch up but we found it hard because of the lights and the heat of the day.

They waited for us as they got close to Main Street in Manchester. It was now closer to 1:30 than 1:00.

It was nice to see Bob there waiting for us and also Maureen popped over as well as Kelly and her kids. they were our only attendees other than Mayor Jay Moran. Were we disappointed, Yes we were. But we carried on.

We had pizza for lunch and then we began the Finale. John Ryan spoke first. He talked about our mission but did highlight the accomplishment of MACC over these past 40 years. And, he mentioned our disappointment that the Shelter was closing on July 1. He handled the situation with dignity and class.

Then Jay Moran spoke. He too complemented MACC and its staff. He also complemented BTC as well and awarded us a nice citation for our accomplishments. That was totally unexpected and so cool.

Jay told a little story which we all thought was perfect.

the story was about King Willy. King Willy was a homeless individual in Chicago. He was sort of the designated leader of the homeless community there. Everyday he would stand on a certain street corner holding up a sign that read "Change".

Pretty simple. People would pass him by every day. Finally a well-dressed gentleman stopped and said he passed King Willy every day and did nothing but this day he felt compelled to stop and offer King Willy some change. King Willy took the change and handed it back to the man. Why said the man. King Willy said, "I don't want your change, I want you to change!"

That's what we all have to do, change our hearts. We have to live Matthew 25. We have to be our brothers and sisters keepers. Who's your neighbor?

Then Beth Stafford, Executive Director, spoke about MACC and the closing of the Shelter. She did her best to explain the reasoning behind it but we all kind of felt let down concerning this issue. Not much we could do about that today.

Lastly the Executive Chef, Ben Dubow, spoke about his mission and how they serve good, wholesome fodd and treat each guest in the soup kitchen with the dignity they deserve. He has turned this soup kitchen into a special place and clients enjoy the food and community.

So we ended our six day a little disappointed but it did not spoil the effect of the other parts of this year's ride. We built community among ourselves especially with five new riders this year, Gary, Matt, Greg, Tim, and Lauren. They learned, we learned even though we didn't think there was more to learn. The experiences were different this year. We were touched again but in different ways. I think the first three days in and out of Hartford alone

made the ride worth it. We could have ended right then and there and it would have been a successful ride. The Sparrows Ministry, the Church by the Pond, South Park Inn, Veterans Crossing, Arbor Park, Stop & Shop, Columbus House. Wow! I am sure we will be revisiting a few of these places again next year if not sooner.Pedal on! PEDAL On!

Done by Lou