Follow Along: Brothers Bike Nears Finish Line

TROY, Pa. — With the finish line in sight, time is running out to donate to the Brothers Bike, a 3,500-mile cross country trek to raise money for two important causes near and dear to the hearts of Bobby, Raleigh and Dennis Jenkins, owners of ABC Home & Commercial Services based in Austin, Houston and Dallas, respectively. The Jenkins brothers’ trip began on May 22 in Anacortes, Wash., and will end on July 13 when they dip their bicycle tires into the waters of New York Harbor upon arriving at Battery Park on the southern tip of Manhattan. (CLICK HERE to make an online donation).

PCT magazine had an opportunity to catch up with the Jenkins brothers during their stop in Cleveland, Ohio on July 5, approximately 500 miles from their final destination. Throughout the 53-day journey, they traveled 70+ miles per day, followed by Sandy and Chelsea Jenkins in a van carrying their supplies. Sandy is the matriarch of the Jenkins family, who opened the first ABC Home & Commercial Services branch with her husband Bob in 1965. Chelsea, a graduate of Texas A&M University, is Bobby’s daughter. She has been chronicling the trip on social media, while managing the day-to-day logistics of the cross-country journey.

“It’s been a fabulous experience,” Sandy said. “I love watching my children do something they’re passionate about. They’re really good guys.”

“We’re worn out at the end of every single day,” Dennis admitted, but the brothers are energized by the people they have met along the way and the “higher calling” of the trip, which is to raise funds for the Moss Pieratt Foundation and A Child’s Hope. “Before they get on their bikes we join hands and pray every morning,” Sandy said. “At the end of the day, we believe we’re serving a higher cause,” Raleigh added. “This is a service ride we have been called to do for SUDC and the children of Haiti.”

Raleigh Jenkins is riding in support of A Child's Hope, a charity he helped create to care for abandoned children in Haiti. Bobby Jenkins is cycling in honor of his late grandson, Moss, to help fund the Moss Pieratt Foundation and to create awareness of Sudden Unexplained Death in Children (SUDC). Dennis Jenkins is supporting both of these charities for children. 

“Bobby’s wife Jan said it best,” according to Dennis. “It’s about parents who have lost children and children who have lost parents.”

This is the second cross-country trip the brothers have taken during their pest control careers. In 2008, they biked from Texas to Canada to raise funds for Caritas of Austin, a service organization that provides housing, food, education and employment services to the poor in Texas’ fourth largest city. “Last time it was about the ride,” Bobby recalls. “This time it’s about the why.” All proceeds from the brothers’ cross-country trek will go to A Child’s Hope and the Moss Pieratt Foundation.

Despite the divisions that exist in the United States, Chelsea said traveling across the country with her father, uncles and grandmother has “restored my faith in people,” she said. “We’ve met so many kind and generous people who are truly interested in what we we’re trying to accomplish.”

Follow the brothers on their journey here, and on Facebook. – Dan Moreland

******************************

Brothers Bike Updates From Family and Friends

Editor's note: PCT is also including two recent Facebook posts about the brothers’ cross-country bike trip, one from Bobby’s daughter Jessica, the mother of Moss, and a second from longtime friend Dr. David Hime. The two posts successfully capture the spirit of the Brothers Bike initiative.

Dr. David Hime’s post:

A Day on the Road with Brothers Bike:
I had the great pleasure of spending the past weekend with Bobby Jenkins, Dennis Jenkins, Raleigh Jenkins, Sandra Jenkins, and the incomparable Chelsea Jenkins in the Pennsylvania countryside on what seemed to be a rather typical day for the Brother's Bike team. I spent the day hopscotching ahead and taking photos as they rode by. I left early Sunday morning to return to my normal life here in Austin, even as they prepared for their 47th or 48th straight day on the road, but I left with several thoughts that I'd like to share here:

1. Faith – The Jenkins family have always been very open about their faith, and it was very evident in my time with them. Prayers before all meals, and before every morning's ride, asks for God’s blessings on their day, and the causes that they represent.

2. Determination – It was pretty evident that this cross country bike ride is extremely taxing, physically and mentally. Yet other than a few jokes, there was no complaining, bickering, or hesitation. I don’t think that any of us can quite fathom how difficult this is. Being away from their wives, family, and friends. Riding a bike 75-80 miles EVERY SINGLE DAY. Driving across the country at 17 miles per hour. Eating out every meal at whatever place is available in the little town that they spend the night. And then getting up the next day and doing it all again. I am in awe of what they're doing, and how they're doing it.

3. Charity – I spent one day on the road with them. It started with breakfast at the hotel, there was a mid morning break to rest and let a heavy rain shower pass, lunch, and then checking into the hotel, 9 holes of golf (I couldn’t believe that they had the energy, but they insisted that they wanted to golf to break the routine), and then dinner. In each of these encounters with the public, they told the story of the Moss Pieratt Foundation (Jessica Jenkins Pieratt and J. Pieratt), SUDC, and A Child’s Hope at least 10 times, with most people asking questions and saying that they wanted to make a donation. They have not forgotten why they are doing this.

4. We Live in a Beautiful Country – I had never been to Pennsylvania before other than the big cities for meetings, and I was blown away by the beauty of the area they were riding through. Unreal!

5. People are Good – In this hyper-politicized, fractured world we live in, it's pretty easy to get cynical and feel like the world’s gone crazy. All the people we encountered were kind, generous, friendly, and very interested in what they're doing. I feel better about the state of affairs after this weekend.

6. Family – You can’t come away from spending time with the Jenkins family without being so impressed with their love and dedication to each other. From the brothers’ synchronized teamwork pulling for for each other as they ride, to Chelsea and Sandy’s support of their sons/father, they are incredibly close and loving. And if you’re a friend of any of the Jenkins, you know that they share their love generously with friends, employees, and others they encounter. When we were going out to eat (a few mile drive at most), they rearranged the SAG wagon to make room for me, so that we could all ride together. “Ducks fly together!” was the message I got. It was a great feeling to be a part of the Jenkins family for a day!

So if you’ve read this far, you must know the Jenkins, or are interested in the charities that they are promoting. If you haven’t yet, I would ask that you honor the effort that they are all putting forth by making a donation to the Moss Pieratt Foundation and/or A Child’s Hope. This family is trying to make the world a better place! 

Jessica Jenkins Pieratt’s post:

Dear Friends,

Today marks the one week countdown until the Brothers Bike journey across America is complete. As most of you know, my dad and two uncles have spent the last seven weeks riding their bikes from Seattle to New York City to raise money and awareness for two charities that are very meaningful to our family, the Moss Pieratt Foundation and A Child’s Hope.

J. and I founded MPF in honor of Moss two years ago after we were introduced to the Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood Foundation. Through the SUDC Foundation we have found incredible support and connected with other families that have experienced similar losses. We have advocated on behalf of these children and families by speaking to medical professionals and have participated in national efforts to support SUDC standards and policies. We are incredibly grateful for the research being conducted and proud to fund The Moss Pieratt Foundation Memorial Neuropathology Fellowship through NYU. We also attended the first SUDC medical conference this past may in NYC and had a chance to meet with an array of medical professionals from geneticists to forensic pathologists. While we hate living as bereaved parents and would do anything to get Moss back, we feel incredibly grateful to have found The SUDC Foundation and be a part of its community of families.

A Child’s Hope is a Christian Academy (orphanage) in Haiti dreamt up and built by my Uncle Raleigh from Houston. After the 2010 earthquake, he made several trips to Haiti to help with pest control needs in their hospitals. While there he saw a larger problem with the many abandoned children needing homes, food, education and love. Today there are 6 children happily playing in Moss Hall, the first of many structures to be built at A Child’s Hope.

It is clear to see why these two charities are so special to us, but I can’t begin to express how humbled and in awe I felt when my dad told me he wanted to ride his bike across the country for Moss. I cry each time I think about it. It has been challenging physically and mentally riding a bike every single day for 70 mies. Plus it is hard to be away from your wife, home, business, and Tex-Mex for so long. There have been many highs and lows throughout this trip and I hope to give the brothers one last boost to make it through their last week.

I am writing to each of you hoping you will consider donating to Brothers Bike. I send my dad a list of donor names each week to keep him motivated. Knowing that others are cheering him on and supporting him from afar is so important to keep his spirits up. Every amount, large and small, is appreciated and can make a difference.

And a huge thank you to those that have already donated! You are supporting the parents who have lost children and the children who have lost parents.

Once again, thank you for being there for us through our grief and as we try to honor Moss in a meaningful way.

Love,

Jessica

PS – To all of our friends in NYC or in the area for summer travel, we will gathering at the finish line to cheer on the brothers as they complete the ride in the late afternoon of Thursday July 13th. We will then host a celebratory reception on Friday July 14th. Anyone is welcome and we’d love to have you. https://mosspierattfoundation.org/brothers-bike/