I’m a big believer in living your life to experience as much as possible that our beautiful world has to offer – to  challenge yourself from time to time to get outside your comfort zone and see things from a different perspective. Ideally, these experiences lead to personal growth, so that we can contribute to help make the world a better place.

So. There I was. Approaching my 55th birthday. And I just this feeling this year felt right to set upon a journey and take a five-week sabbatical from work from May 24th to July 3rd to do something I’ve wanted to do for some time: bike the North American Continental Divide from New Mexico to Canada along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (“GDMBR”). 

I realized I had an opportunity to do some good and thought about how I could tie it to my colleagues, to my work, and to the broader commercial real estate industry. 

And so, I decided I would ride in support of two amazing women at Avison Young who I have come to know over the years: Sarah Campbell and Kiana Kasei.  Sarah and Kiana are young, vibrant, intelligent women who were stricken with two different types of cancer. I pitched my idea to them, and they graciously agreed to share their stories so we can collectively work to leave the world a better place by raising funds to support their cancers. The fundraising goal for Project 55 is $55,000, split equally between Sarah and Kiana’s charitable causes.

I’m not new to cycling although bike packing is a sport I’ve recently discovered. It is freedom and adventure in the wild, exploring the natural world while having to solve challenges like navigation, weather, fatigue, mechanical issues, and re-supply of food and water.

In some ways, this is like my career: the flexibility and excitement of choosing your clients, solving their challenges and navigating problems that come up, all with the goal of completing the project and meeting the objectives set at the beginning.

Please join me in supporting Sarah and Kiana, and follow me on this epic journey!

My sincere gratitude,
Jeff