Six days where the Heat Index has been over 100 degrees since the beginning of The Kindness Bicycle Tour began its 6 month, 7,400 mile trip makes for an early day. Trying to get up and out before sunrise is the goal every morning when it is this hot. For his safety, Bogart is enjoying the air-conditioning back in Cleveland until mid-September when he re-joins The Kindness Bicycle Tour when we are in Colorado.
A great number of people are helping us along the way with lodging and providing many of the comforts of home as we travel through their towns. Much of our itinerary changes at a moment’s notice, as meetings and invitations to events are requested. I have another announcement I will make next week, which will take us from West Virginia back to Washington DC for the day, in a little over a week, for an event which will test skills, I’m not sure I have.

Teaching boys at a young age about the etiquette which should be used when in the company of girls is one of the most important, earliest lessons a young man can learn. Respect, the use of non-demeaning language and the meaning of the word, no, are but a few of the values a boy should learn at a very young age. Most often the simplest message is the most profound. “Boys Don’t Hit Girls” should be message #1 taught to boys and should become part of the culture of a young man. Simple message. Easy to do. Lifelong results.
In my recent meeting with Lynn Rosenthal, I mentioned the “Boys Don’t Hit Girls” statement and she said it reminded her of something similar, Vice-President Biden had stated recently. In one of their meetings, all sorts of facts and figures were being poured over in great detail to which the Vice-President said something to the effect that a simple solution to a problem is usually the best.
With my extended stay in Washington DC, we are only 2 days behind schedule and only 36 miles less than our total. We will make up the miles by the time we reach Gore, Virginia.
Today’s photo is one of me with my 8 sisters. I have a very big stake in the Domestic Violence issue.

Today was a big day for The Kindness Bicycle Tour to Raise Awareness about Domestic Violence and Childhood Sexual Abuse. A very big day!
The adage, “It’s good to have friends in high places” couldn’t be more true and necessary for this mission. Having the support from people who work on this issue on a daily basis provides the most valuable resource I can have, as I move forward:  knowledge.
Today I met with Lynn Rosenthal and her staff. Lynn is the White House advisor to President Obama and Vice-President Biden on domestic violence and sexual assault issues. The knowledge and passion she brings to the job is from working for years on many different state and local levels; from the personal side of finding housing and comfort to running the NNEDV.
We talked for over an hour about the many successes of the “Violence Against Women Act,” the ties her agency has to the various departments of the federal government, some of the various programs on the federal, state and local level, the upcoming International Conference on Domestic Violence, her interest in my mission, being a dog lover and so much more. I came away from today’s meeting, with further inspiration to carry on this mission, armed with greater knowledge and knowing that I have some very important people on my side.
Today is the 67th anniversary of D-Day. Think of all the freedoms you have and thank every veteran you ever see while out in public.

For its size, the DCCADV is one of the busiest coalitions in the country. Offering assistance to those in need of comfort, through the dozens of agencies in its network, this coalition works miracles with a very small staff. Per its website, in one day advocates served 407 survivors of Domestic Violence. The need is great and growing.
Today we met with Lynea Woody, Communications and Organizational Advancement Director of the DCCADV. A wonderfully articulate woman, Lynea spoke of some of the hope that her organization offers and the healing which takes place over time. She told us of some of those success stories.
With so many people from foreign countries represented in the population of the District, the language barrier at times presents a unique challenge and is one of the priorities of the DCCADV to reach everyone in need in their region.

Tomorrow marks the anniversary of D-Day. No better memorial to honor those who perished on those beaches in France and all others during WWII than the memorial on the National Mall in Washington DC. I had the honor of walking through this memorial on the eve of D-Day. It was my first visit to this memorial and I am ever thankful to all who have been and are in the armed forces.
The freedoms provided and protected by those who have defended and now defend our country should never be forgotten. One of those freedoms, Freedom of Speech, affords me the right to ride across this amazing country to raise awareness about Domestic Violence and Childhood Sexual Abuse with my One Million Acts Of Kindness mission.
If you see a veteran at any time, thank them for their service to our country.

Just to the north of DC by several miles is Kensington, MD where we have been able to conveniently park The Kindness Bus. Every morning we ride into Washington from this town where there is plenty of space and no need to worry about having to move from parking meter to parking meter every 2 hours, a huge asset to us.
Just around the corner from our “base camp” is a Montgomery County firehouse named Station 5. I have been wanting to find the time to spend an hour or so to stop in, especially because they are in the middle of constructing a 911 memorial on their grounds, but I have been arriving back in the evening every night after dark. Today I found the time.
Riding through a very busy Montgomery County to do chores along the way, took us past Station 5 a couple of times. We were able to stop in and thank the firefighters for the job they perform. We were also able to talk with them about the Domestic Violence runs they go on as paramedics. “This happens too much, everywhere,” one of the firefighters said. We went to Station 5 to thank the firefighters for the job they do and they ended up thanking us. A very humble group, to say the least.