More than 1,200 miles and a few bumps and bruises later, the three cyclists made it back to Naples from the nation’s capital.
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Colin Estrem, Gordon Kellam and Glen Schwesinger before the ride |
Close to 50 people packed Café Lurcat on May 12 to welcome home Glen Schwesinger, vice president of investments at UBS; Gordon Kellam, managing director and financial adviser for BB&T; and 7th Avenue Social owner Colin Estrem.
The trio rode from Naples to Washington, D.C., to raise money and awareness for The Shelter for Abused Women & Children’s Gentle’men Against Domestic Violence (GADV) initiative, which calls for men to maintain a zero-tolerance policy for aggression toward women.
The trip was an eventful one, to say the least. For the most part, the cyclists were met with good fortune along their trek through Florida and up the Southeastern coast. They suffered a few flat tires, a fall, and their bus did get stuck along a dirt road in North Carolina, but nothing threw them off their journey.
Along the way, they stopped off to meet with politicians and fellow domestic violence prevention advocates, including Jacksonville Jaguar Sen'Derrick Marks. The trip culminated with sitdowns involving Caroline Bettinger-Lopez, the White House adviser on violence against women, and Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and Curt Clawson. (Read more about their adventures on their blog.)
They raised more than $50,000 for the cause. “Men standing with women—and gender equality—is something we value greatly,” Estrem says of himself and his cohorts.
