ABOUT US
Hello there!
My name is Mike. I'm 22 years old and recently graduated from Fordham University. My 2 buddies, Tom and Owen, along with myself have decided to spend the summer biking from Brooklyn to Seattle. Originally, the three of us had decided to bike for ourselves – just to do it. But we figured that if anything could make this trip even more worthwhile and better for everyone, not just ourselves, what better idea than riding for a cause?
As of today June 8th, my buddy Charlie is currently biking across the country with his friend Maddie in support of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). And they’ve inspired us to ride for mental health awareness and support as well.
In making this decision, I've come across some stats that forced me to think, here they are:
U.S. Youth Mental Health Stats
Stats provided by NAMI and Mental Health America's yearly publication, "The State of Mental Health in America 2021"
1 in 6 (16.6%) U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-34
60% of youth with major depression did not receive any mental health treatment in 2017-2018
Even in states with the greatest access to mental health resources, 1 in 3 youth are going without treatment.
Nearly 1 in 10 (9.7%) of youth in the U.S. have severe major depression, compared to 9.2% last year.
The rate of severe major depression was highest among youth who identify as more than one race, at 12.4%
Young people are struggling most with their mental health as rates of suicidal ideation are highest among youth, with 77,470 youth reporting experiencing frequent suicidal ideation from January to September 2020.
The Jed Foundation
These statistics bring us to The Jed Foundation. The Jed Foundation is a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for our nation's teens and young adults. They partner with high schools and colleges to help strengthen their own mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programs and systems. Their end goal is ensuring that teens and young adults are equipped to navigate mental health challenges, to seek and give help.
The Jed Foundation has been saving lives for over 20 years. Its campaigns have reached nearly 30 million people, and an additional 5 million people are educated on mental health each year because of Jed's online resources. 100% of each donation on this page will go directly to the Jed Foundation.
The Crew
We decided to ride for this foundation because it is a cause that all 3 of us care for and can relate to. In fact, it's important to realize that mental health illness is something that just about everyone can relate to, as it touches all of our lives in one form or another.
A word from each of us:
Mike
Given that I just recently graduated from college, I wanted to do something special this summer. One day when brainstorming ideas, purely as an idea meant to be a joke because I 100% assumed he’d say no, I asked my buddy Tom to ride across the country with me on a bicycle. After 10 seconds of silence, Tom responded ‘yeah.. why not.’ Surprised, I asked, “You know what you’re saying yes to, right?” He affirmed his answer and well… Here I am, writing a description about biking cross country for The Jed Foundation.
I have personally struggled with my own mental health throughout my life, depression being a main struggle for some time. I also know many people who have had their own mental health battles as well. Many of whom have sought help and since made progress. But unfortunately, many adults and children in our country still do not receive the resources and support they need for their battles. That is why I am actively learning and spreading awareness about mental health illness in our country and the ways in which we can combat it.
Thank you for your time and support for the cause. Cya on the road.
Tom
After recently graduating college, I wanted to do something fun to celebrate the achievement. Mike is the one who convinced me to do this journey over the summer. The reason I said yes so brashly came down to one final thought: lifetime adventure. This trip will be one I never forget for the rest of my life. It will be something I can share with my family and friends, and of course my two buddies on this trip with who I will make unforgettable memories along the way.
Mental health was subtly introduced to me throughout high school, but I began to understand it more thoroughly in college. Throughout high school, I suffered from headaches and migraines that were linked to stress. I largely ignored them until recently when I went to see a doctor. Anxiety has been my issue throughout college but was pushed to the side because I was not fully aware that anxiety was what I was feeling. Sometimes we are taught to ignore these feelings, or to not feel certain ways because it is “not how we are supposed to be”. I believe the main issue is awareness, and I support the efforts of the Jed Foundation for bringing these issues of mental awareness to college campuses. That is why I want to ride for Jed and support their foundation for suicide and overdose prevention. Change begins when people have the necessary facts and information to understand themselves internally, so they can make changes externally to improve themselves and others. Thank you for your support and well wishes, I cannot wait to share new stories along the way.
Owen
Exercise has always been my way of venting and releasing all stress/anger/sadness that I would normally keep bottled away. Once COVID closed down all gyms, I turned to cycling as an alternative form of exercise and I now wish I had discovered it sooner. I guess that is my motivation behind this trip. I hope to take my love for cycling and pair it with a cause that I am personally connected to. I feel I have never dealt with my mental health problems in a healthy way and I hope to help educate others to not make the same mistake.
I have, especially recently, struggled with social anxiety and depression and it’s been increasingly affecting my overall mental state. I have seen people close to me affected by the same issues and it has been great seeing universities try to reach out to students in regards to their mental health and provide more resources to help struggling students. However, I hear many negative reviews about the inadequacy of these resources from students at different universities who have tried to use them. This is exactly why I want to support the Jed Foundation in their efforts and help to spread awareness about mental illness.
More Info
Special thanks to Chris, Charlie, Jeremy, and Julian who have all helped make this possible. We will be posting content regularly throughout the trip. If you'd like to follow, feel free to subscribe to our newsletter and check out our Instagram (@bikeforjed) in the footer of this website.
Donations can be clicking "Donate" at the top of the page.
Thanks so much for your support... and please don't forget to send this page to your friends to help spread the word!