Eytan Bensoussan is biking 2,500 kilometers to support the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Intensive Care Unit of the Jewish General Hospital
When Law/MBA student Eytan Bensoussan learned one of his best friends was getting married in Florida a month before Eytan’s Convocation, he joked that after the celebrations he would simply use May to ride his bike all the way back home.
“As soon as the words came out of my mouth I had an ‘AHA’ moment,” said Bensoussan, as joke quickly turned into reality. On May 4, he began a 2500-km ride up the East Coast of the U.S. to raise money for two charities: the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Intensive Care Unit of the Jewish General Hospital.
“My trip is a way of me giving back when I have received so much,” said Bensoussan, who has already raised about a quarter of his $10,000 target. He chose these two charities based on the important work they are doing and to raise awareness among his generation of the importance of healthy living.
“One of the fundamental lessons I learned over the course of my four years at the Law Faculty was how much the study of law is tied to the pursuit of equity and concern for one’s fellow citizen,” he said. “The Faculty has enriched my outlook on life in this way, and its lessons played a large role in me wanting to find a way to help others now that I’ve graduated.”
Bensoussan’s trip will begin in Savannah, Georgia, and finish in Albany, New York, taking him through South and North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania on the way. You can follow his journey, read his blog, cheer him on, or donate to the charities by visiting www.bikingtowardsthe49th.org.
“The bike ride is a win-win,” he said. “It’s a vacation that’s different and challenging, but also provides a method to raise awareness about issues and money for important causes.”
Just so long as he makes it home in time for his Convocation on June 4, of course.
By Pascal Zamprelli