When Chuck Halberg and his friend Jimmy Christe jump on their motorcycles and head on a cross-country ride in July, they’ll be bringing with them a passenger of sorts who’s on a mission to help Delray Beach.
The passenger is Flat Stanley, a two-dimensional character, who Halberg will keep in his pocket as they travel through 22 states in 23 days – all with the goal of raising money for several local organizations.
“We love to ride, and we decided we would make this year’s ride a fundraiser,” said Halberg, a member of the Chamber’s Education Foundation Board.

Money generated from donations will go to the Chamber’s not-for profit arm and distributed to five organizations: the Chamber’s Delray Beach Education Foundation, the Achievement Centers for Children & Families, the CJ Foundation, Prep & Sports, and Delray Citizens for Delray Beach Police.

Halberg says he’s receiving a lot of support from the community, with some people offering to donate a penny a mile for their 9,000-mile trip and others agreeing to pay a certain amount for every picture of Flat Stanley in a specific town.

One restaurant, Deck 84, is donating $5 for every menu Halberg and Christe bring back.
Sponsoring the trip along with Stuart & Shelby Development is Cohen Peterfriend Trial Attorneys, who have pledged to donate up to $5,000.

“All of the proceeds will be going to the charities,” Halberg said.

Halberg says this summer’s journey is actually the final leg of an adventure that began three years ago when he and Christe set out to reach all of the lower 48 states by motorcycle in three years. This year, they’ll be reaching the final 10 – mostly out West – but they have to go through several states to get there.

Among the cities on their journey will be San Francisco; Grand Junction, CO; and Lincoln, NE. After each day’s ride, Halberg will be posting photos of some of that day’s adventures, and you can bet Flat Stanley will be in a lot of them.

To find out how you can contribute go to flatstanleyridesforcharity.com.