A budget war in the Illinois state legislature had a moment of peace when Ride2Freedom came to town.
Ride2Freedom is a team of young people cycling across America to raise awareness of orphans in China. They stopped in Springfield, Illinois on July 1, and the legislature invited them to sit in on an emergency budget meeting. Everyone in the room gave an ovation for Ride2Freedom. The cyclists turned and showed the flags on their backs, representing their countries, including Argentina, Israel, China, Germany, Peru, Hungary, Iran, and the United States.
“That was a great moment,” said Kristine Feng, a 15-year-old from New Jersey, and one of the Ride2Freedom group.
The Ride2Freedom cyclists, ranging in age from 11 to 25, started their continental bike trek from Los Angeles on June 1. They are journeying to Washington, with stops all along the way to raise awareness about the persecution of Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa, in China.