Maryville, Tenn. – More than 400 children in Tennessee are in state custody right now, waiting to be adopted; more than half of those are teenagers. That is the reason 85 riders, each one connected to adoption in some way, are traveling 433.7 miles across the state of Tennessee over a five-day period to raise awareness of adoption. In its 5th year, the Adoption Tour is a collaboration of adoption organizations, including The Department of Children Services, Harmony Adoptions, Youth Villages and others.
The Adoption Tour officially begins in Johnson City on Monday, October 5th at 7:00 a.m. As riders and support crew make their way from Johnson City to Nashville, they will be stopping along the way for celebrations in Alcoa, Cleveland, Chattanooga and Columbia to honor adoptive families, pledge their support to those who have adopted and commit themselves to helping those children who still need a permanent home. “That’s the theme for this year’s tour – A Journey Home,” says tour director, Jesse O’Hatnick, who rode in 2007. “These riders know first-hand what adoption truly means and they’re looking for a way to show their commitment and share their stories.” In all, there are nine celebrations through out the tour route, with the largest crowd expected in Nashville as the cyclists hit mile marker 433.
The Galewski family of Dyersburg, Tenn. has four riders in this year’s Adoption Tour. The family’s patriarch, Greg, with two of his sons, James and Paul, and daughter, Jordon will be pedaling together and sharing their inspirational story. Greg and his wife, Cindy have four biological children and four adopted children. “I rode for the first time in 2005 to celebrate our fourth adoption. Each year it gets bigger and bigger,” says Galewski. “I’m just amazed by the reception we receive in each city.” The Galewsi’s story is one of many.
The tour itself is physically challenging, with more than half of the ride completed in the first two days. “In triathlons, you have what’s called a century ride. The bicyclists in the Adoption Tour will complete one of those on Monday and another one on Tuesday,” says O’Hatnick. “Fortunately, we help our riders train for this in the months leading up to the tour.”
As much as the ride is about the children awaiting their “forever families” and the awareness of adoption in general, the Adoption Tour promotes cooperation between the multiple agencies who work to find homes for displaced children in Tennessee year round. There are 18 riders from the Department of Children Services and 27 from the various adoption providers. Pam Wolf, the CEO of Harmony Adoptions says, “Anyone who is considering adoption should know about the incredible resources that are available to them. It’s not something you will have to do alone – support is available to Tennessee families after the adoption is finalized.”
With all of the hills and valleys, twists and turns, and seemingly endless days of the Adoption Tour, organizers say the parallel to an adopted child’s journey is intentional. “When we ride into Nashville’s Bicentennial Park on that last day, we will be thinking about those children who are still waiting, still hoping. It will be bittersweet,” says rider Zan Schriver, one of the tour’s founders who has ridden every year.
Together with the tour’s sponsors, the Tennessee Department of Children Services in partnership with Harmony Adoptions, Youth Villages, Agape, Catholic Charities, Camelot Care Centers, Inc., Helen Ross McNabb, Cumberland Hall, OMNI Visions, TVA, TN Alliance for Children & Families, and Health Connect of America, the first celebration for the Adoption Tour will begin on the eve of the tour, Sunday, October 4th, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Winged Deer Park in Johnson City. The public is invited to attend.
“We have more riders than ever before, and a completely new route. I think all of this will make for the best Adoption Tour yet,” says O’Hatnick. “What we need now is the public to know about us and the sacrifice these riders are making in the name of adoption.” For more information on the Adoption Tour, go to www.adoptiontour.org or follow the riders on Twitter @adoptiontour.
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Thanks to generous help from volunteers and donors, Harmony Adoptions is making exciting progress towards revitalizing historic Camp Montvale in Blount County. When work is completed the camp will become the Harmony Family Center at Montvale, a counseling resource for families with newly adopted children.