Boy Scouts make 4,000-mile journey by bike for cancer foundation

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — A group of Boy Scouts from Chapel Hill has traveled 4,000 miles from Florence, OR, to Wrightsville Beach to raise money and awareness for the Be Loud! Sophie Foundation.

On June 17, the young men set out on an incredible journey across the United States by bike.

“It’s a huge challenge,” said Andrew Defigueiredo, a Boy Scout.

The team agrees that the trip brought them all closer together.

“I was friends with these people before I started the trip, but after this trip I feel like I know them better than they know themselves. We’re like brothers,” Defigueiredo said.

Over the last several months the boys have been raising money and awareness for the Be Loud! Sophie Foundation, an organization that helps teens and young adults with cancer have more enjoyable stays in hospitals throughout the UNC system.

Brian Richardson, one of the scouts, said that riding for a cause made the trek even more meaningful to him.

“I think that really added to the experience. It’s a great sense of reward for making a difference,” Richardson said.

Along the way the boys made a number of connections, including a young couple from Germany, who met the scouts in Missouri. Benja Herrera and Caroline Schauss had been planning a cross country US tandem bike ride for years. When they met the boys on the road, they teamed up with them for the rest of the ride.

“We had no idea what to expect. Seven Boy Scouts. Two leaders. But in the end they turned out to be such nice and funny dudes.It was really really great,” Herrera said.

The German cyclists agreed that changing their final destination from Fredericksburg, Virginia to Wrightsville Beach was totally worth it.

“Sharing funny stories from the road. We laughed a lot. We had a lot of fun together. Yesterday night I taught some of the boys how to juggle and it was just fun!” Herrera said.

All in all the boys said it was a fun but long trip from one coast to the next. Now the scouts start a new challenge, another school year.