Riding for a cause: Man to bike entire state to help returning citizens

FOX 2 (WJBK) - Tim Ward is getting ready for a ride - a really big one.

On Monday the avid cyclist will begin making his way around the entire state of Michigan, on his bike.

"It's 2,452 miles in total," Ward said.

Nearly 2,500 miles - tracing the lower and upper peninsulas - all to raise money and awareness for a program called Chance for Life.

"You have to make change - you have to be open to change - and the biggest obstacle to change - is yourself," Chance for Life graduate Rodney Smith said.  

We first introduced you to Rodney Smith last year - he and Orlando Flowers - both returning citizens who embraced the Chance for Life program while still behind bars - and literally turned their lives around.

"I love my job," Orlando Flowers said.

Both were working for Walbridge Construction after successfully completing Chance for Life - which teaches critical thinking, conflict resolution, and mediation training.

For 25 years, they've been changing lives in several prisons throughout the state - here's founder Tom Adams.

"It's not just the curriculum - in fact, that's the smaller part - it's the practicing of the curriculum -that's going to make you successful," Adams said.

And that success is something Tim Ward believes in - you see he runs a lobbying firm in Lansing - and went into a prison to see chance for life's impact firsthand.

Taking accountability for their actions - wanting to improve themselves.

"Just a transformation," he said. "How much they cared about themselves and bettering themselves - and bettering their inmates and helping their fellow inmates get better."

It's why Tim Ward is spending 22 days tracing the state - raising money and raising awareness - stopping along the way to meet with lawmakers and activists - going the extra mile just like Chance for Life.

"I'm really excited - I think when people here the Chance for Life story - they'll be as moved by it as so many other people who know about it," he said. "But it's not enough - so we look forward to amplifying that message."

Follow Tim's journey on social media @tracemiride on instagram.

To learn more about Chance for Life go to chanceforlifeonline.org