by Michele Catahay

Guam - It's a big ride, for a big cause. An avid bicyclist will be riding from one end of the United States to another in hopes to raise funds to benefit the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization on island.

President of TakeCare and avid bicyclist Joseph Husslein was once a Big Brother during his college days. He also played a major role in helping to resurrect the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization right here on Guam. Husslein will be riding his bike across the mainland for 41 days from Santa Barbara, California to Charleston, South Carolina. He will be traveling approximately 3,200 miles in total.

While this has been Husslein's goal for quite sometime, he felt he could, at the same time, help the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization. He told KUAM News, "I was inspired by the movie 'The Bucket List' where they were nearing the end of their lives and they had a list of things they wanted to accomplish. This has always been on my bucket list. So I decided I wanted to do it and I chose the outfitter, it's a company called Trek Travels. You actually have to qualify in order for you to do the ride with them," he explained.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Guam pairs the youth with active members in the community and has since helped thousands of children, as Husslein said, "It's all about providing mentorship for the youth, whether it's a boy or a girl. You're paired with a little brother and you're basically serving as a role model in life where a role model doesn't exist in that person's life for whatever reason."

The Little Big Ride campaign will dedicate 100% of every dollar that is raised for every mile to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America Foundation. Vanessa Estella is the executive director for Big Brothers/Big Sisters on Guam, and told KUAM News, "It's called Little Big Ride for a reason: everybody can pitch in just a little bit and can make a donation of any amount and the impact will be huge because it will go towards sustaining our programs throughout the villages and Guam's local schools."

While the ride has been able to obtain corporate sponsorships, Husslein says you too can make a pledge online. "I chose Big Brothers/Big Sisters and its right here in our backyard. Although I'll be riding across the USA, the ride starts here on the island of Guam and I encourage the people of Guam to come out and show their support."

You could make your pledge at LittleBigRide.org.