JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two men are partnering with Wolfson Children’s Hospital to accomplish a mission of cycling 5,000 miles cross-country to raise awareness and money for childhood cancer.
Jason Rogers and Moi Monroe got a celebratory send-off Monday as they began their journey to support a cause close to their hearts.
“Something I love to do is ride bikes. If I can help somebody out doing something I love to do, it’s been a real blessing for me to be able to do,” Rogers said.
Rogers, an avid cyclist, started the mission after losing his 6-year-old cousin, Mattie, to cancer in 2013. He’s a board member of the nonprofit Mattie’s Mission, which supports families facing childhood cancer.
“Mattie was 6 years old when she lost her life. She was here at Wolfson and had all her treatment done here. We formed Mattie’s Mission around 10 years ago, and we help all the children in our local community and surrounding communities,” Rogers said.
Monroe is joining Rogers for this year’s ride after years of supporting from the sidelines.
“We put in a lot of training miles,” Monroe said. “7,000 miles between us.”
The men will fly to Anchorage, Alaska, to start their 42-day journey and will cycle the entire way back to Jacksonville, ending at Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
“We’re not interested if anybody knows who we are at the end of the day. We just want to be difference makers,” Monroe said.
Monroe’s understands the stress families are under during times of uncertainty. His grandson didn’t have cancer but spent months in the NICU.
Kimberly Jones, Chief Philanthropy Officer for Wolfson, said the money the men are raising through their journey will help give care to many families.
“When a child has been diagnosed with pediatric cancer, as you can imagine, their whole world is flipped upside down,” Jones said. “It’s specifically for the pediatric and oncology and infusion clinic in partnership with Nemours.”
The men hope the journey will encourage others to join in their mission of finding a cure with inspired fundraising ideas of their own.
“Hopefully, at the end of the day, somebody will see us and what we have done and it will inspire somebody else to do the same thing,” Monroe said. “Maybe not a ride, maybe some other venture.”
The men are scheduled to return to Jacksonville by September, which is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.