The Story
Trying to clear up some space on my hard drive the other day, I came across a forgotten document, colorful in nature and decently designed, titled “30 Things To Do Before I’m 30.” I’d created this bucket list as an alternative to your typical business-kid “10 Year Plan” and submitted it to a professor for a grade. The riskiness of that move was more or less equivalent to the craziness of some of my bucket list items. Everything from Starting a Food Truck toLearning to Play the Banjo, Giving a Ted Talk to Teaching English in Another Country, I had clear intentions of living the next decade as an adventure. #15 on my list, surprisingly enough, was to See The Country by any means necessary, be it a car, bike, or series of sketchy forms of public transportation. This is an item on my list that I didn’t anticipate crossing off until at least 23 or 24 years old. I don’t know if I snuck up on it or it snuck up on me, but either way, the country I shall see!
I’m equally as ecstatic as I am scared to be taking this trip / making this trek across our beautiful country. The opportunity to complete the 4K For Cancer came right at the perfect time. I’ve always been radical about what it means to “live life” and have been campaigning all over the place about post-grad options that don’t include “full-time jobs”. Many friends and family members, concerned for my well-being, have graciously offered up their couches to me for the moment when my nomadic and adventurous lifestyle is no longer sustainable. I was, and still am, determined to prove that I appreciated, but didn’t need the support in that way. I explored 5 or 6 post-grad options before finding the 4k For Cancer, none of which included a full-time job. All of these options led to dead ends, which collectively added up to a bit of disappointment, but not enough to convince me to stop searching. I came across the 4K for Cancer with a little help from Bentley University and 4K Alumni, Steph Kos (Thank You Steph Kos!), and knew, on impact, that this would be the next chapter of my life, a memorable and life-changing one at that.
This blog will serve as a continuous update on both the objective and subjective experiences of biking across the country. That means 70 days of beautiful photos, new relationships, touching moments, and sore muscles. Until then, this will serve as an outlet for my pre-4k planning and preparation: fundraising, training, studying and more fundraising. Here’s where I’m at:
Fundraising
I’m responsible for a minimum of $4,500 in fundraising by the time I leave on the trip. So far, we’re up to $1,670. I have 15 more days to reach the next deadline of $2,500, so as you can imagine, I need to pull out all the stops. I’m doing what I do best – approaching life from a creative viewpoint – and making money off some unique projects and raffles. I have a meeting this week with the Dean of Students here at Bentley University to pitch my latest idea which, if approved, will likely generate a ton of money and attention. I’m also channeling my inner-child and starting a Flat Stanley Fundraiser. The winner of the raffle will have their picture taken, printed, and carried across the country with me. I’ll juxtapose that photo against the beautiful backdrop of every stop along the way – the mountains, the hills, the oceans, the landmarks – creating the illusion that this person has actually seen the country. Upon my return, I’ll send them the album of their completed trip across the country, all for a winning one dollar raffle ticket!
I’m continuing to generate ideas and implement new fundraising strategies. In the meantime, I’m accepting donations, big and small, here at this page: 4kforcancer.org/profiles/halle-prentice/ It is a quick and easy donation process and every little bit is appreciated! Thank you to all of those who have already donated and supported such an incredible initiative and cause.
Training
Just when I thought fundraising $1,500 in 6 days would be the most difficult part of the preparation process, I had a 30 mile training ride worth of hills to complete. That’s easily a couple of hours, multiple episodes of Project Runway, and 4 bags of frozen vegetables used in typical college kid fashion to ice my muscles. A few weeks in now, I’ve built up some endurance, and surprisingly, I’ve also built up a tolerance to spending that many hours doing the same thing in the same place. My bike arrived in the mail last week, the kind of package everyone is curious about as you carry it across campus, so as soon as the weather warms up, I buy a helmet and review the Biker Safety Manual, I’ll take to the roads and begin the real training.
This process has already proven and will continue to prove to me that long-term life projects are incredibly rewarding. I’m honored to have this opportunity and to share it all with you. Join me in this journey, donate some money, keep up with my blog posts, and stay tuned for what’s to come. Thank you for reading!
Trying to clear up some space on my hard drive the other day, I came across a forgotten document, colorful in nature and decently designed, titled “30 Things To Do Before I’m 30.” I’d created this bucket list as an alternative to your typical business-kid “10 Year Plan” and submitted it to a professor for a grade. The riskiness of that move was more or less equivalent to the craziness of some of my bucket list items. Everything from Starting a Food Truck toLearning to Play the Banjo, Giving a Ted Talk to Teaching English in Another Country, I had clear intentions of living the next decade as an adventure. #15 on my list, surprisingly enough, was to See The Country by any means necessary, be it a car, bike, or series of sketchy forms of public transportation. This is an item on my list that I didn’t anticipate crossing off until at least 23 or 24 years old. I don’t know if I snuck up on it or it snuck up on me, but either way, the country I shall see!
I’m equally as ecstatic as I am scared to be taking this trip / making this trek across our beautiful country. The opportunity to complete the 4K For Cancer came right at the perfect time. I’ve always been radical about what it means to “live life” and have been campaigning all over the place about post-grad options that don’t include “full-time jobs”. Many friends and family members, concerned for my well-being, have graciously offered up their couches to me for the moment when my nomadic and adventurous lifestyle is no longer sustainable. I was, and still am, determined to prove that I appreciated, but didn’t need the support in that way. I explored 5 or 6 post-grad options before finding the 4k For Cancer, none of which included a full-time job. All of these options led to dead ends, which collectively added up to a bit of disappointment, but not enough to convince me to stop searching. I came across the 4K for Cancer with a little help from Bentley University and 4K Alumni, Steph Kos (Thank You Steph Kos!), and knew, on impact, that this would be the next chapter of my life, a memorable and life-changing one at that.
This blog will serve as a continuous update on both the objective and subjective experiences of biking across the country. That means 70 days of beautiful photos, new relationships, touching moments, and sore muscles. Until then, this will serve as an outlet for my pre-4k planning and preparation: fundraising, training, studying and more fundraising. Here’s where I’m at:
Fundraising
I’m responsible for a minimum of $4,500 in fundraising by the time I leave on the trip. So far, we’re up to $1,670. I have 15 more days to reach the next deadline of $2,500, so as you can imagine, I need to pull out all the stops. I’m doing what I do best – approaching life from a creative viewpoint – and making money off some unique projects and raffles. I have a meeting this week with the Dean of Students here at Bentley University to pitch my latest idea which, if approved, will likely generate a ton of money and attention. I’m also channeling my inner-child and starting a Flat Stanley Fundraiser. The winner of the raffle will have their picture taken, printed, and carried across the country with me. I’ll juxtapose that photo against the beautiful backdrop of every stop along the way – the mountains, the hills, the oceans, the landmarks – creating the illusion that this person has actually seen the country. Upon my return, I’ll send them the album of their completed trip across the country, all for a winning one dollar raffle ticket!
I’m continuing to generate ideas and implement new fundraising strategies. In the meantime, I’m accepting donations, big and small, here at this page: 4kforcancer.org/profiles/halle-prentice/ It is a quick and easy donation process and every little bit is appreciated! Thank you to all of those who have already donated and supported such an incredible initiative and cause.
Training
Just when I thought fundraising $1,500 in 6 days would be the most difficult part of the preparation process, I had a 30 mile training ride worth of hills to complete. That’s easily a couple of hours, multiple episodes of Project Runway, and 4 bags of frozen vegetables used in typical college kid fashion to ice my muscles. A few weeks in now, I’ve built up some endurance, and surprisingly, I’ve also built up a tolerance to spending that many hours doing the same thing in the same place. My bike arrived in the mail last week, the kind of package everyone is curious about as you carry it across campus, so as soon as the weather warms up, I buy a helmet and review the Biker Safety Manual, I’ll take to the roads and begin the real training.
This process has already proven and will continue to prove to me that long-term life projects are incredibly rewarding. I’m honored to have this opportunity and to share it all with you. Join me in this journey, donate some money, keep up with my blog posts, and stay tuned for what’s to come. Thank you for reading!