NEW ORLEANS - A Christian brother from Louisiana is planning to bike 6,000 miles across the country to help raise money for a charity supporting the special needs community. 

Ride for Reid starts March 1 in New Orleans, with Brother Chris Sweeney riding along the Gulf coast to Florida and then onto Washington, D.C. before biking across the country to reach San Francisco. He is riding for his nephew, Reid Sweeney, a 7-year-old with Down Syndrome.

The ride will support the Reid Rocks Fund, a charitable arm of the Northshore Community Foundation. The goal is to open up a cafe' for special needs employees. 

You can read the full announcement below. 

On March 1st, 2023 the ride begins in New Orleans. Brother Chris will bike along the Gulf Coast beaches and continue across Florida to the Atlantic coast. Once we hit water we turn left and follow the East Coast Greenway to Washington, DC. After waving to the Washington Monument we again turn left onto the Great American Rail Trail and across the country. Eventually, we end up on the west coast in Seattle and again make a left turn on the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco. Total distance of the tour is close to 6,000 miles and finish in July. Brother Chris Sweeney, is a Brother of the Sacred Heart for 30 years and a missionary in Mozambique for the last 11 years. Chris requested a sabbatical year in order to address some physical issues and to do a reset spiritually and emotionally. In late Summer 2022, doctors installed a new knee and in March will begin his Ride For Reid.

“It won’t be about the destination, but the journey” Brother Chris mentioned. “With
each pedal stroke I hope to recall my blessing on a full life already, and a new life to
begin.”

Though Brother Chris doesn't feel like a person with special needs, he was born with a
club foot and missing nerve down the right side of his leg. After four major surgeries
between the ages of 1-5, he has lived with pain all his life, and though he could walk
and run a little, he never felt really normal. His parents bought his first real road bike
in high school and he has been riding ever since. Riding was the one thing he could do
without pain and he fell in love.

Brother Chris is riding for his nephew, Reid Sweeney, a 7 year old in Madisonville, LA
with Down Sydrome. With the proceeds we want to open a coffee shop or cafe for special needs employees. This could be a franchise or new concept. Bitty and Beau is a franchise that is well known with a similar concept.

Follow the Ride For Reid on Facebook and donations and sponsorships are still
available.