Utah State University Professor Completes Epic Bike Ride to Combat Global Poverty

Mike Glauser of Utah State University completed a nearly 4,000-mile bike ride on July 20 at a monument in Yorktown, Virginia.

This journey, called "Pedaling to End Poverty," aimed to raise funds for scholarships through the Small Enterprise Education and Development (SEED) program. Glauser was joined by his team as they celebrated the end of this significant endeavor with a banner reading, "FINISH" and "Pedaling to End Poverty."

Over the course of 47 days, Glauser and his team rode from Florence, Oregon, to Yorktown, Virginia, raising over $500,000. These funds will support 300 students in the SEED program, which Glauser has led for the past 12 years. The SEED program focuses on training students to spend three-month internships teaching entrepreneurship in various global locations, including Peru, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Ghana and the Philippines.

"Our students have taught more than 10,000 people," Glauser stated. "We primarily work with families living in extreme poverty, aiming to help them build businesses that can significantly increase their household income."

The SEED program at Utah State University has a strong track record of success, with many graduates starting their own businesses or being sought after by companies for their international experience. Glauser's cross-country bike ride was designed to raise awareness and funds for the program, emphasizing a grassroots approach to addressing global poverty.

Glauser’s message is simple yet profound: We have it in our grasp to dramatically improve the lives of people living in poverty around the globe. Taking a grassroots approach, one small business at a time, with the model repeated thousands of times over. It’s the same philosophy guiding Glauser’s ride across America.

“We truly are all in this together, one person reaching out to another,” Glauser said.

Glauser's journey began on June 3 in Florence, Oregon, and followed the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail. The team experienced various challenges, including headwinds and difficult terrain, but were met with widespread support from individuals and communities across the country and experienced no injury, accident or illness. Glauser calling it a “safe and enlightening journey.”

One hundred percent of the funds raised through Pedaling to End Poverty go directly to scholarships for students in the SEED program.

For more information about the SEED program or to make a donation, visit the Pedaling to End Poverty website.