Inspiring Leadership Lessons in Ride2Freedom (Photos)

Americans welcomed a 16-year-old girl from Germany, when she rode a bike across the country to rescue orphans, during the Ride2Freedom tour.
Inspiring Leadership Lessons in Ride2Freedom (Photos)
Annie Chen in van June 27, 2015 Cat Rooney/Epoch Times
Mary Silver
Updated:

For one member of Ride2Freedom, the 3,000 mile journey has strengthened her resolve to put others first. Annie Chen of Troy, Michigan is 19 years old, and she is leading a team of young cyclists from Los Angeles to Washington to New York. Ultimately, they intend to rescue Falun Gong orphans in China. They intend to stop a human rights crisis that started on July 20, 1999.

Annie said she grew up knowing about the persecution of Falun Gong in China, and had never before had a chance to do something about it directly. She condemns the injustice in China: “If somehow I was born in China … then I would be in their shoes and I would be expelled from school, and I could possibly be orphaned and I wouldn’t be able to express my beliefs freely. It’s not fair at all that someone just like me in China who practices Falun Gong or has a belief in a faith is being persecuted just because she doesn’t live in the United States but lives in communist China.”

Ride2Freedom cyclist from USA, Annie Chen, poses with her bicycle at South Park, Lawrence, Kan. on June 25, 2015.(Cat Rooney/Epoch Times)
Ride2Freedom cyclist from USA, Annie Chen, poses with her bicycle at South Park, Lawrence, Kan. on June 25, 2015.Cat Rooney/Epoch Times
Mary Silver
Mary Silver
Author
Mary Silver writes columns, grows herbs, hikes, and admires the sky. She likes critters, and thinks the best part of being a journalist is learning new stuff all the time. She has a Masters from Emory University, serves on the board of the Georgia chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and belongs to the Association of Health Care Journalists.