Moshe Hecht: Singer, Songwriter… and Cyclist

Why would a father of two who writes songs for a living put down his mike and get on his bike?

Because he wants to help children with special needs!

Here’s how he plans to do it:

When the second annual Bike 4 Friendship kicks off in Los Angeles on July 1st, eight riders set out on a 3,279 mile trek to New York City to benefit the Friendship Circle. Cycling for seven weeks through picturesque deserts, towering mountains, and the sweeping Great Plains, the dedicated cross-country riders have been joined by scores of supporters for individual day-long and week-long stretches.

The cyclists have already raised over $60,000 in pledges for the Friendship Circle, an organization founded in 1994 to assist children with special needs and their families. With 82 branches worldwide, the Friendship Circle helps more than 5,000 special needs children and counts almost 11,000 teen volunteers. Today, the Friendship Circle is the fastest growing Jewish organization for children with special needs.

Bike 4 Friendship started in the summer of 2011 with just three riders hoping to attract some attention to a good cause and to make a difference. Building on last year’s success, this year’s Bike 4 Friendship was open to the public; anyone wishing too was able to join for a small segment.

Indie-folk singer-songwriter Moshe Hecht, 27, is one of the hundreds of volunteers that Bike 4 Friendship has already attracted to join the ride. The Brooklyn-based married father of two will be trading in his microphone for a bicycle and joining the trip for its final leg: a day long ride from Livingston, NJ to Manhattan, NY

Hecht is a rising musician with a passion for special needs children. His first album, Heart is Alive, was produced by seven-time Emmy winner and Grammy-nominated producer Steven Ray Allen, debuting to rave reviews on the current folk-revival music scene. He has been profiled in the Jewish Daily Forward and the New York Post, and most recently he and his Moshe Hecht Band performed prior to a New York Mets baseball game at Citi Field for Celebrate Israel Night.

“I have a sister who lives in Australia, and she has a son with Down Syndrome,” explains Hecht. “Having a family member so close to me who faces that struggle every day really inspired me to get involved with the Friendship Circle.”

Hecht became a Friendship Circle volunteer in high school, and as his musical aspirations grew it seemed appropriate to write a song dedicated to the special needs children that he saw and drew inspiration from on a regular basis.

“I had a conversation in Seattle with Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky, the executive director of the Friendship Circle of Washington. We thought there needed to be an anthem for the Friendship Circle,” recalls Hecht. “We decided that I would write one and perform it at their Friendship Circle.”

That conversation led to “My Friend,” a soulful ballad arranged by seasoned musician Mark Joseph Weinstein and produced by Steven Ray Allen. The single was released in 2009, with all proceeds going directly to the Friendship Circle, to highlight the special friendships that develop between the children and volunteers of the Friendship Circle.

“With this bike ride I really want to create awareness on a larger scale,” says Hecht. “I want to take the passion and inspiration that I got from the Friendship Circle and put it into something physical.

“I also wanted to honor the volunteers who are doing the cross-country trip in its entirety. I’m biking 30 miles, and that’s a big deal for me. But these other guys who are doing the full trip are going more than 3,000 miles. That’s huge.”

You can join Bike 4 Friendship as well, and Bike 3,279 miles in 3 hours. Register at Bike4Friendship.com/finale.