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Freshman Finds Service in Cycling
by Bob Burnette
Johnston, his bike trek, and a class report on AIDS - Hilltop photo art
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Mars Hill College Freshman Paul Johnston is a cyclist from Boone, North Carolina, who was looking for a way to use his hobby for a good and rewarding cause instead of just for fun. When Johnston saw the commercial for Charity Treks, he decided that this was the answer he was seeking.
Charity Treks is a not-for-profit organization that gathers together cyclists to bike hundreds of miles from one city to the next for five days straight. The purpose, according to the group's website, is "to raise awareness and money for the cause of finding a vaccine for AIDS."
Johnston's first trip during the summer of 2002 was from Montreal, Canada, to Portland, Maine, covering close to 500-miles and lasting for five days. He signed up a year ahead to allow planning time. He trained for many months and lost about eighty pounds in order to prepare himself. However, four weeks before the trip was to start, organizers canceled the event. Johnston joined about 100 other volunteers who gathered in Montreal that year and decided to go anyway.
The next trip during the summer of 2003 was from Montreal to Boston, Mass, also covering nearly 500 miles. It was with a much larger group because they were sponsored by Charity Treks and had more volunteers to help. He said these volunteers came from all over the world --Hong Kong, England, Australia, Spain, and many other countries, as well as the U.S.A. and Canada.
Johnston said many of the volunteers were very sick with the disease as they rode, and some were unable to finish because of their illness.
"One guy had a heart attack two days before the race started and insisted on going out and participating regardless," Johnston said. "It is amazing to see people so sick with this disease still have the determination to ride a bike on such a long journey and to hear them screaming at the tops of their lungs about helping our charity."
Johnston estimated that he helped raise about $25,000 during the two trips.According to the Charity Treks website, the second trip alone raised about $80,000 for AIDS research at the UCLA AIDS Institute.
"You know, it just came to me one day after watching the commercial for it (Charity Treks), and I felt like I had finally found a cause instead of wasting my time," Johnston said. "I am part of something now that I truly care about and have met some amazing people, and I will contribute whatever I can to help."
Anyone interested in this organization can contact Charity Treks at Or contact Paul Johnston at 689-6071, email at pgj01@mhc.edu.
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