Pedaling for Freedom

By Rae Anne LaMarche:

SOLO TANDEM RIDE ACROSS AMERICA TO END HUMAN TRAFFICKING

On May 19th, 41-year-old, Naresh Kumar, of Freedom Seat and the Rotary Club of Guindy India will symbolically dip the back wheel of his tandem bike into the Columbia River (which flows into the Pacific Ocean) at Astoria, OR as he begins at dawn to pedal across the United States via the TransAmerica Trail and ends in Washington, DC where he will dip his front tire into the Potomac River (which eventually flows into the Atlantic with a driving passion to shine a light on the realities and the scourge of Human Trafficking/Modern Day Slavery, the second most profitable illegal industry in the US and around the WORLD (UNICEF).

Freedom Seat will raise funds for worldwide COMMUNITY AWARENESS & PREVENTION EDUCATION* (CAPE grants by Rotary Action Group Against Slavery RAGAS) and AWARE and PROTECT CURRICULUMS by 3Strands Global Foundation in the prevention and protection from this heinous violation of our basic human rights.

Naresh is no stranger to the vulnerabilities of women and children in his country being sold in the market. Women and children were taken and sold as sex slaves; men and children were trapped in bonded labor with no way out. Naresh grew up just barely above poverty in Chennai, India. At an early age, Naresh began running and cycling to feel a sense of independence and freedom. “Freedom is the purest form of living”, says Naresh.

Join hands (or pedal) and promote this event globally and locally with your media and community leaders such as police departments, high school & college campuses, and other civic organizations including Rotary. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing!” Says Naresh.

Follow him at Freedomseat.org