ROCKFORD, Mich. -- For the sixth year in a row, the Van Berkel family is forgoing a family trip to raise funds to help orphans in Haiti. The annual H.I.S. Home for Children charity bike ride will begin on Monday June 22nd, and end in Harrod, Ohio on June 27th.
Geoff Van Berkel and his wife began organizing the ride in the spring of 2009 as they underwent the process of adopting two baby girls from Haiti. The girls were eventually brought home to West Michigan two weeks after the devastating earthquake in 2010.
The couple, which already has three biological children, have since adopted three more children from Haiti.
The annual ride has become a family event. Each rider must raise $500 dollars to ride. Last year, the fundraiser brought in more than $80,000 thousand dollars for H.I.S. Home for Children, the orphanage the Van Berkels have worked with to adopt their five children. The non-profit is headquartered in Ohio.
To learn more about the ride, or to donate, click here.
To learn more about H.I.S. Home for Children, click here.