Students plan bike trip to raise funds, awareness for Alzheimer’s research

A group of 11 WKU students will embark on a bike trip across the United States to raise awareness and funding for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Bike4Alz, formerly known as Fijis Across America, will begin their 3,000-mile journey on May 25 in International Falls, Minn., and end in Key West, Fla.

Participants are: John William Owens and Will Garcia, both of Louisville; Trip Carpenter of Owensboro; Dylan Ward of Hartford; Austin Lanter and Ben Harris, both of  Winchester; Sam Wells of Paris; Jonathan Caron (driver) and Kent Jones, both of Somerset; Tyler Wittmer of Evansville, Ind.; and Josh Amos of Bowling Green.

During the three-month bike ride, Bike4Alz will stop in several major metropolitan areas to hold events with the local Alzheimer’s Association chapters. The group’s goal is to raise $175,000 to benefit the organization and raise awareness about the disease.

“Alzheimer’s is a growing problem in America that costs the nation millions of dollars annually,” Lanter said. “One of Bike4Alz goals is to show people that college students are capable of making a difference. The money we raise will hopefully bring researchers closer to finding a cure for the disease.”

Participants of Bike4Alz, and the former Fijis Across America, are all members of the Chi Eta chapter of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. Fijis Across America completed their bike ride from California to Virginia in 2010, raising $56,000 and serving as inspiration for Bike4Alz and the 2012 goal.

For more about the 2012 trip, visit http://www.bike4alz.org/

Here is a video about the Bike4Alz project:

Contact: John William Owens, (502) 718-2525 or JWOwens3@yahoo.com.