Chris Holman welcomes Tim Ward, President of Michigan Legislative Consultants, a Lansing lobbying firm.

Listen to Tim and Chris discuss the ride for a cause and how it's going in the SoundCloud PodCast shared below:

In their conversation, Chris looked to find out several things from Tim ;

Tim is a Bicyclist in the middle of his second week of a twenty-two-day 2,400-mile journey that began in Detroit on July 10th, to highlight a non-profit that reduces recidivism and changes lives Tim, how far have you gone, I understand we're tracking you down in the Upper Peninsula?

Please tell us briefly about Michigan Legislative Consultants, and then what non-profit you are supporting with this effort?

WHAT: Ward, a passionate cyclist, is embarking on a 22-day journey to raise awareness about Chance for Life. The organization is a progressive transformational program that offers behavior and life skills training to incarcerated individuals about to return to society. Tom Adams, president of Chance for Life, was recently named by The Detroit News as a “Michiganian of the Year."

Has it been smooth riding? Has the Canadian smoke impacted your ability to cycle the targeted distances each day?

WHERE: During the Trace Michigan tour, Ward will ride his bicycle around the entire Lower and Upper peninsulas. He will make stops along the 2,400-mile journey to share messages about Chance for Life until the journey completes on August 3.

Speaker of the House Joe Tate joined you to launch this trip, what did it mean to you to get such support?

WHY: Chance for Life has developed a bold and successful approach that changes the community and creates a better future one life at a time. The recidivism rate for Chance For Life’s core members is just 6 percent. Since Chance for Life pledges to “go the extra mile” for the people they serve, Ward is going to do the same. That’s why he has mapped out a unique plan to help spread the word about the nonprofit group.

How has the response been to this topic, as you've stopped at various spots across Michigan?

Below is a release with more information about this effort:

Non-profit that Reduces Recidivism and Changes Lives Compels Lansing Lobbyist to Peddle 2,400 Miles to Raise Awareness and Support Chance for Life Offers Behavioral and Life Skills Training to Incarcerated and Returning Citizens

LANSING, MI –Tim Ward (left) is eager for more people to know about the Chance for Life (CFL) organization. That is why he is embarking on a remarkable 22-day journey on July 10 to raise awareness and funds about the groundbreaking program that successfully trains individuals incarcerated in prisons as they return to communities.

Ward is the president of Michigan Legislative Consultants, a Lansing lobbying firm that has been driving policy change for more than half a century. After 35 years of political consulting, government service, and advocacy experience, Ward values societal reform that features innovation and strategic thinking. In Chance for Life, he found exactly that.

“Chance for Life is a progressive transformational program that works,” said Ward. “The group has developed an approach that changes the community and creates a better future one life at a time.”

Through job training, job placement, mentoring, and family reintegration, CFL provides the tools needed so core members become rational, critically thinking people that are motivated to help themselves and others. The Detroit News recently honored Tom Adams and Jessica Taylor, president, and executive director, respectively, of Chance for Life, as one of just 10 in their distinguished group of “Michiganians of the Year.”

Ward said the recidivism rate of CFL’s core members is just 6 percent.

“This is a bold strategy that breaks the cycle of despair,” Ward said. “By teaching behavioral and life skills, these residents can transition into the community that has changed significantly during their absence. CFL helps people move beyond the mistakes of the past and build brighter futures.”

Following the CFL’s pledge to “go the extra mile” for the people they serve, Ward is going to do the same, mapping out a unique plan to help spread the word about the nonprofit organization. Because of his longtime passing for cycling, Ward is launching the Trace Michigan tour. During the 2,400-mile journey, which will take more than three weeks, Ward is going to ride his bicycle around the entire Lower and Upper Peninsulas, starting in Detroit on July 10 and ending in Detroit on August 3.