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Rogers Park Band to Ride with Bike 4 Friendship

Yosef Peysin (left) and Mordy Kurtz (right) of Rogers Park out doing good deeds.

Summer tours for bands in the US are a dime a dozen, but a Chicago-based band called Rogers Park is taking their tour on a new route this year.

“Instead of the standard tour, we decided to team up with Bike 4 Friendship and integrate our tour with their route,” says Mordy Kurtz, a member of the band. The band is currently working their gigs around the schedule of the Bike 4 Friendship cross-country bike route and will perform in various locations along the way.

But do music and cross-country bike riding have anything common?

According to Yosef Peysin, another member of the Rogers Park Band, “Bike 4 Friendship will ride across the country to spread awareness about special needs children by visiting different states and joining together with others as a team.”

“Team work, devotion, creativity, and Judaism are what our music is built on. We saw “Bike 4 Friendship” as a perfect match,” he explained.

“Music,” says Peysin, “is powerful tool that brings people together and extends beyond the individual to connect people to a higher, greater purpose.”

Last year, Bike 4 Friendship succeeded in raising awareness for acceptance of individuals with special needs, when they tackled the odds of a daunting journey and sent a clear message to spectators along the way that external differences don’t render an individual less deserving of respect, compassion and friendship.

In addition to press exposures in cities along the route and meet and greets with Friendship Circle chapters across the country, the bike trek itself provides an exhilarating adventure for the cyclists. The 3,300 mile distance – 85 miles a day — winds through rustic American towns and major cities, national and state parks, Indian reservations and lush, green landscapes. Training began in April.

This year, the Rogers Park Band promises to bring an exciting new dynamic to the cross-country bike ride. At Friendship Circle chapters in cities like Los Angeles, Denver, Detroit, and many more in between, the band will spread the message of the Team Friendship through music.

“We are looking forward to Rocking and Rolling together as a team,” beams Peysin.

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