Perfect conditions for riding, perfect conditions for meeting most of Evansville, it was all of that this morning in this very friendly city. Samm Quinn’s article in the Courier & Press about The Kindness Bicycle/Bus Tour must have been read by everyone in town, as the response by people in passing cars was nearly unanimous.
Sue, a local volunteer for many local causes of children in need was so much fun to talk with. She had seen the article and I had an hour of conversation with her. She does more in a week’s time than most people do in a year.
Derek, a news reporter from News 25 in Evansville came out to tape me for a telecast to air over the weekend.
With all of the connections I made today, I rode for nearly 10 hours with an average speed of about 5mph.
Matt and Meredith, organizers of a music benefit for Riley Children’s Hospital held at the Angel Mounds State Park spent countless hours finding bands who volunteered their time to entertain the crowds. They kindly invited me to bring The Kindness Bus to the benefit. I made the mistake of laying down in The Kindness Bus and because of being in the sun for 10 hours, I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow.
Thank you to the media in Evansville for helping to spread my message all across their town.

Jonathan Weinzapfel, Mayor of Evansville, Indiana is a hero in the battle against Domestic Violence. He is doing his part, and then some, when it comes to protecting and caring for women and children in need. As Mayor, he proclaimed October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Evansville. He is also a big supporter for all of the shelters and coalitions in and around his hometown. Apparently the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree as his mother has always volunteered to help women and children in need; she was also the Executive Director of the YWCA for more than two decades. The Mayor took the time to meet and talk with me and pose by The Kindness Bike, even though he was busy with budget meetings all day long.
I was interviewed today by Sam Quinn, an intern at the Evansville Courier & Press. She was looking for the guy with the bus as I serendipitously appeared in the newspaper’s parking lot. She recognized The Kindness Bicycle by its description. Imagine that.
As I head further west, the landscape is getting flatter, making my rides a whole lot easier. The nearly 40 miles I rode was a breeze.

Before pushing into Indiana this evening, I had a very busy, last day in and around Louisville.
Though it was a scheduled day off, I rode nearly 30 miles anyway. It was relatively cool and I want to keep my “banked” hours at 100 miles or so. Having great exposure in the Highlands along Bardstown Road I decided to also ride through Cherokee Park. It was a great move. I met and talked with many people in the park. Terry Meiners a radio personality from 84WHAS radio stopped by as I was taking a quick break in the park and asked if he could interview me on his drive-time show, of course I agreed. Rae, a college student loved The Kindness Bike she said she was gonna go straight home and put similar signs on her bike. Sherry was walking her two pampered pooches, Scout and Jack. She agreed to let her dogs pose with me for today’s blog…no Bogart, you are not being replaced!
A very big thanks to Patti of Louisville, a big supporter and cheerleader for the cause of One Million Acts Of Kindness. She wants to see this movement spread globally. Bill Dean and his wife Shannon who own a Salon in the Highlands, are new followers, they helped me with lodging and some of the comforts of home. Thank you to all the residents of Louisville for such a warm welcome during my extended stay.

It is hard for me to believe that exactly 3 years ago today I was traveling through Twinsburg, Ohio and I heard on the radio of Officer Miktarian’s senseless death; I had moments earlier passed by a memorial on the side of the road; I turned around in disbelief of the coincidence. Last year I found myself, coincidentally, once again in Twinsburg a few days before the 2nd anniversary of his death. I searched for and visited the beautifully landscaped and brick paved area where a granite monument rests in his honor. I felt compelled to write about him, to honor him, in my blog that day, called, “In the Line of Duty.” Chief Noga of the Twinsburg Police even took the time to write me in return for paying my respects.       This year, I plan to pay my respects to hero Officer Miktarian and many other heroes, children aren’t hearing of enough.
On February 20th 2012, I will begin a 3,000 mile, 4 month bicycle ride from southern California to Jacksonville, Florida to honor Officer Miktarian and all fallen protectors of our freedoms, I will also ride for the Wounded Warrior Project. In late June I will visit the good people of Wounded Warrior Project, located in Jacksonville. I will then head north in The Kindness Bus to Twinsburg, Ohio for the 4th anniversary of the death of Officer Miktarian.
While on the road during those 4 months, we will visit schools to talk to children about heroes like Officer Miktarian. I will also visit with veteran’s groups and Veteran Hospitals. Children need to hear much more frequently about the real heroes in all of our lives.
My prayers to the entire Miktarian family, his family of Officers at the Twinsburg Police Department and the hundreds of friends he has. As Chief Noga said in his letter to me, “He is still with us in so many ways.”

The Domestic Violence Hotline is celebrating 15 years of helping those in abusive relatIonships. The hotline was established in 1996 as a component of The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) passed by Congress. Their very first call was from a dad seeking advice for his daughter who was in an abusive relationship; they have been answering 800 calls a day, 24/7, ever since. Their very informative website can be found at; www.thehotline.org
Yesterday’s hazy, hot and humid day and night allowed The Kindness Bus to a pleasantly steamy 93 degrees by daybreak today. It was a joy to step outside into the mid-80s.
The day started slowly, due to some minor bike repairs, delaying my ride until the noon hour. It was a bit less humid and not as hot, making all the difference in the world. Riding by a coffee shop, Tony, a barrista came out and offered a huge ice water. It was a huge help to start my ride. Lots of interest and well-wishes for The Kindness Bicycle tour today.

With a temperature of 97 degrees and the heat index at 114, I am grateful that today’s ride of 30 miles was the shortest of the past 5 days rides. Today I was able to visit several organizations which look after people in need, especially woman and children. I was able to run in and out of air-conditioned buildings giving me a brief respite of the blast furnace-like temperatures of the outdoors.
Two stories stand out today, neither of them very comforting. Read on if you wish.
While riding through a popular area of Louisville, I made The Kindness Bicycle very visible to everyone on this closed off street which has been turned into a pedestrian-only zone. A father and his 2, early-teen sons were waiting to be served at one of the outdoor patios. I slowly circled as I rode the length of the street past all of the restaurants. Not knowing I was looking, the father saw me first and motioned to his sons to take a look. The father whispered something to his sons and they all had an under the breath laugh. The 2 of 3 signs they saw were; “Be a man, don’t raise a hand, stop Domestic Violence” and “Boys should never hit girls.” Still not knowing I witnessed this deplorable display, I circled nearer and said very politely, “Do you know that 4 women a day die every day in the United States from Domestic Violence?” “These women are our mothers, sisters, daughters and friends.” I’m hoping this father, who had no retort, thinks about the example he sets, in the future, to his very embarrassed sons. This story is an example of why this ride to raise awareness is so very important.
This 2nd story, I wish I hadn’t heard. While on a stop to re-hydrate, I was filling a water bottle at a self-serve section of a fast food restaurant, when I turned around, a young mother was standing right behind me with her hand outstretched for me to shake. “I want to thank you for what you are doing, I am a victim of Domestic Violence and my daughter is too.” I turned to look the direction the mother was motioning to a girl of about 10 years of age. “I watched my dad push my mom out the upstairs window, so we had to run away,” she said.

A generation capable of so many things; if they were taught the right things. Six thousand students descended on Louisville for a week of being inspired in the Nazarene way. The Kindness Bicycle / Bus Tour was here for the final 3 days of their visit. Six thousand students as a captive audience, more or less, as The Kindness Bus was parked outside of the main entrance for 2 of those 3 days and my bicycle ride took me past their conference a few times per day. My message to them was that they could stop Domestic Violence and Childhood Sexual Abuse in their lifetimes; the message was met with a huge response.
It was a hot one today, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees by noon and rising in the afternoon. I struggled to reach my total of 32 miles today with a visit to the Cosair Children’s Hospital, lunch with Patti, a new dear friend and supporter, a filming for a Youtube channel and dozens of conversations. I push north into Indiana tomorrow. Maybe it will be 20 degrees cooler.