If I only could find my 5th grade yearbook to confirm if I was on GMA!

I had a lot of funny field trips as a kid:

• To the Amish Country where I gleefully squeezed milk from the fake teet of a fake cow

• To a neighborhood in DC (was it Columbia Heights or Adam’s Morgan, I can’t recollect??), where I ate sopa de mondongo (tripe soup)... that required another dictionary hours later to understand what tripe was.

• And to send off a father and son on a cross country bike trip thanks to my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Chism. 

I’m not exactly sure what the backstory of this was, but Mrs. Chism knew Nick Irons, who was biking across America to raise money for MS, which Nick’s father had.

My memory believes that Good Morning America was there.

Sadly, I can’t seem to find my 5th grade yearbook to confirm that, but what I do remember is my whole fifth grade class took a school bus and cheered Nick and his dad off on this bike journey. 

Then a handful of years later, when I was in high school, I was wrapping gifts for charity at the Barnes and Noble in Rockville, Maryland and there was Nick Irons signing books about swimming the length of the Mississippi River. 

I don’t remember that conversation with Nick, but I was caught off guard. This was the guy who biked across the country.

He also swam the length of the Mississippi?  I bought his book, which he signed and I’ve read approximately 2 chapters of it, but it stands proudly on my bookshelf. 

Biking across the country seemed a bit inconceivable as a child. At the time, the exciting thing about that send off was that my classmates and I got to miss school to be on TV. 

But as a teenager and now as an adult I get it. 

My teacher, Mrs. Chism wanted to connect us to inspirational individuals who said YES to life, to adventure, to growth and to doing good in the world.

And I’ve been thinking about this lately because I’m about to send off into a big adventure. In less than 2 months, I’m partaking in a 3 week wilderness trek in Idaho, after being selected by the non-profit organization, Wild Gift as one of their 2024 Wild Gift Fellows. 

• 3 weeks to get more clear about what I’m doing here at Circle and Spoke

• 3 weeks to bond with the four other fellows who like me are launching ventures that have social and environmental impact 

• 3 weeks to unplug from technology and the world to be in touch with nature and get more clear on my leadership and life

While I’m not biking in this fellowship, nor am I biking to Idaho to start this trek, I’m going to be hosting a celebration to send me off with some good juju into this big adventure.

And I’d love for you to be there to celebrate!

Send Off Bike Ride & Celebration: 

Thursday, August 15th from 5:30pm- 8:00pm in NW DC to cheer me on for this big trek and raise $5,000 for this rad nonprofit Wild Gift. 

Please stay tuned for the information of this bike ride gathering, how to RSVP and ways you can support me, Circle and Spoke, and Wild Gift!

Wheels up, 

Ellen

PS- My personal fundraising page to support Wild Gift isn’t live yet, but you can still make a donation right now to this amazing non-profit. Thanks for believing in the work I’m doing and the transformational power this Wild Gift fellowship and trek will have on my leadership and for this Circle and Spoke community.

For over 20 years, Wild Gift has propelled the leadership of young entrepreneurs who are working to build a more sustainable world and socially thriving society. I’m humbled to have been selected as one.