May 21, 2012
BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) – Eighty-five bike riders with connections to adoption are biking from Johnson City to Nashville in order to raise awareness about adoption.
The 5th Annual Adoption Tour is held over a five day period and takes each bike rider 433.7 miles across the state with nine stops along the way. The tour is a collaboration of adoption organizations including the Tennessee Department of Children Services, Harmony Adoptions and Youth Village.
At the start of the tour, there were 436 children in state custody awaiting adoption. More than half of those were teenagers. The bike riders hoping to raise awareness about there situation were social workers, people who have been adopted and volunteers.
”We’re looking for families who are willing to open their hearts and homes to these kids who have been through things we can’t even imagine,” said Pam Wolf from Harmony Adoptions.
The bike route takes riders from Johnson City to Newport, Maryville, Madisonville, Cleveland, Chattanooga, Manchester, Bell Buckle, Columbia and ends at Bicentennial Park in Nashville on Friday.
You can read more about the tour and adoption by clicking on the link below.
