Bicyclists to arrive in Connellsville
CONNELLSVILLE – A team of 26 bicyclists will trek into the city’s West Side on Monday, when they arrive at St. Rita’s Church after having pedaled more than 3,500 miles as part of a two-month journey across the United States to help “brake the cycle of poverty.” The cyclists’ arrival in Connellsville will mark the 57th day of their trip, which began in San Francisco on June 1 and will end in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 1 as they tour 32 dioceses in 13 states.
The core riders, which range in age from 19 to 72 years, have been cycling across the country for the last two months to raise awareness about poverty in the United States.
“They’re taking a stand on something that can be fixed,” said Steven Krzanowski, president of St. Rita’s Youth Group and local coordinator for the event.
The group is composed of students, teachers, a seminarian, executives and retirees, in addition to national staff from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), a domestic anti-poverty, social justice program of the Catholic Bishops in the United States, which is sponsoring the event.
The organization is geared toward addressing the root causes of poverty through the support and education of self-help organizations of poor and low-income people.
During its 32-year history, CCHD has funded nearly 4,000 projects across the United States aimed at helping people find a way out of poverty.
According to Sister Anne Flynn, local CCHD director of the Greensburg Diocese, the CCHD awards grants to poverty groups, which organize to help themselves break the cycle of poverty with the money generated from collections taken in November at Catholic churches.
Krzanowski said the youth group has worked hand in hand with CCHD for the last several months to prepare for the cyclists’ arrival by making posters and welcome signs.
Because the cyclists have included Connellsville as part of their stop, Krzanowski said he would like to see the community come out and support them upon their expected arrival Monday between 9:30 and 10 a.m. at the parish, located on Second Street.
“We’re not asking for donations, just for the community to greet the cyclists and learn about their trip so far,” said Krzanowski.
While in Connellsville, Krzanow-ski said, the youth group will provide the cyclists with lunch in the church social hall, giving them a short time to rest before they continue on to Somerset as they wrap up the last four days of their 3,880-mile journey.