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Eight-Year-Old CJ Burford Will Embark on 360 Mile Bike Ride Across North Carolina for Samaritan’s Purse

May 10, 2013. How far did you ride your bicycle as a child? To the end of the driveway? Down the street? Across town?

Eight-year-old CJ Burford of Winston-Salem will embark on a 12 day, 360 mile ride across North Carolina from west to east, starting at the Tennessee border and making his way to the coast to Emerald Isle. 

The purpose of this trek is to raise awareness for children living in impoverished nations to help them to receive life-saving heart surgeries as part of Samaritan’s Purse’s “Children’s Heart Project”. 

images-5According to Samaritan’s Purse, the project strives to help provide life-saving surgery for children with congenital heart defects who are living in areas where appropriate treatment may be unavailable to the general population. The program has helped to provide life-saving surgery for more than 900 children in need to date. As of January 2013, Samaritan’s Purse has brought more than 650 children with life-threatening heart defects to North America for heart surgery that was otherwise unavailable to them in their home country.

Starting his adventure on Monday, Burford will be making his way into the Boone area on Tuesday afternoon where this remarkable young man will make a visit to Samaritan’s Purse at 801 Bamboo Road.

Samaritan’s Purse, headed by Franklin Graham, is an international Christian relief and evangelism organizaiton working in more than 100 countries to provide aid to victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine and persecution. For more information, click here.

This is not Burford’s first ride for a reason.

On Aug 5, 2011, he rode his bike for 30 miles in Forsyth County to support medical missionaries in Kenya, raising $5,000 with his adventure.  Later, on Nov 11 and 12 of the same year, Burford pedaled 85 miles in two days to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte and the Ronald McDonald House of Winstin-Salem. In 2012, he rode 315 miles down the North Carolina Coast to raise money for the Samaritan’s Purse “Turn on the Tap” Water Project.

More information on this ride and all of Burford’s fundraising efforts can be found by clicking here.