Father Launches Cross-Country Bike Ride from Albuquerque to Support Ronald McDonald House

Cyclist Begins Nationwide Charity Ride in Albuquerque

A father began a cross-country bike ride in Albuquerque on Monday to support the Ronald McDonald House nonprofit, which had previously assisted his family for months.

In 2013, Jeff and Liz Bekos spent 254 days at their local Ronald McDonald House chapter while their daughter, Hailey, was hospitalized with a rare, life-threatening disease. Hailey has since fully recovered. Following that experience, the Bekos family established an organization called One Dad’s Mission to promote awareness of Ronald McDonald House and its services.

Previous Fundraising Efforts and New Goals

Jeff Bekos completed his first charity bike ride across the country in 2024. During that ride, he raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Ronald McDonald House. Building on that effort, his current journey aims to reach every Ronald McDonald House in the United States.

The new ride starts in Albuquerque and is part of a plan for Bekos to visit each Ronald McDonald House location. He stated that people in Albuquerque can participate locally and referred to the mission of his effort as spreading kindness to families experiencing difficult times.

Planned Route and Distance

During the first leg of the current ride, Bekos plans to travel to 34 additional Ronald McDonald House locations. This initial portion of the journey is scheduled to conclude in Iowa City in June. Overall, the complete route is expected to cover nearly 6,000 miles.

Bekos’s cross-country ride from Albuquerque is organized around visiting Ronald McDonald House chapters and supporting families who use the nonprofit’s services, based on the support his own family received in 2013.