School presentations page

Two Wheels and a Dream Tour
Apr 23 - May 12, 2006
Maryland - Virginia - West Virginia - Ohio

When people think of school, their thoughts often turn to days of learning the '3 Rs', gaining the knowledge that will propel them through life. However, many students today are also discovering that the three 'I's can change their lives - and of the community in which they live.

Around the country, students are using INVESTIGATION to identify problems at their school, or define things things their communities lack. By adding IMAGINATION to the mix, and those students find creative and inovate ways to address those issues. When INSPIRATION strikes them, they work individually or as a group to derive a solution. Implementing those solutions often results in a fourth I: a positive IMPACT on their communities.

Glen Hanket - author, publisher, adventurer, engineer - has both received and delivered inspiration. In 1992, shortly after his wedding, a talk delivered by the first man to walk around the world inspired him and his wife to leave their jobs and spend a year walking from Maine to Oregon, picking up four tons of roadside litter.

Glen told the story of his cross-country 'honeymoon' walk in his first book, Underwear by the Roadside. As the LA Times said, "The author's straightforward prose and heartfelt appreciation of life's simple joys separate this tome from the weaker examples of this genre that litter bookshelves." (Read an excerpt from the book here.)

Glen reprised his walk in 1998, taking a week to walk from Ft. Collins CO to Denver to celebrate Earth Day. In every town he stopped at a school, helping children clean up their school grounds and regaling them with tales of his trip, or talking to them on subjects ranging from business, computers, writing, speaking, and science.

Ten years after his big walk, Glen returned to the road. In three consecutive springs he bicycled from Oregon to Denver to Chicago to Rhode Island. On the ride, he began each day speaking at a school, inspiring those students - and the students at one school showed him the power of the three 'I's. That journey - along with others, including a run with the Olympic torch - provided the basis for the book, WOW! What a Ride!.

Glen is returning to the road in April, talking at schools and libraries about his journeys, recounting the grand country we live in, educating students and adults about the environment - and possibly providing the INSPIRATION for those attending to reach for their own dreams.

He will again stop at schools and libraries whenever possible to present a personalized program. Following are suggestions of programs Glen has delivered in the past or has added for this trip. (Schools can choose from school-wide assemblies to individual classes, or anything in-between.)

Lead the students in a litter cleanup around the school campus. Whether with a single class or a number of classes, he can start with an interactive session on "Litter: Why?"

An entertaining discourse on his coast-to-coast LitterWalk and his bike-ride across country (enhanced by a video slide show), followed by a question-and-answer session.

Speaking to English classes or interested adults about writing, publishing, and editing. Besides Underwear by the Roadside and WOW! What a Ride!, Glen has written twenty-six books on bicycling in Colorado, and has ghost-written two books on financial investing.

Speaking to business or marketing classes or Junior Achievement groups. He owns his own publishing company that has grown in revenues and profits every year. Additionally, he has written an accounting program designed to help small businesses balance their books.

Presentation to engineering, science, computer, and math classes. Glen has worked in the software profession for 25 years, both on government (aerospace) contracts and in the commercial sector. As a class project, students can create a web page about Glen's visit to link to his web page documenting the trip.

Talk to leadership groups on careers, goal-setting, and the importance of education. He has seen the workplace change in the past quarter-century, and has adapted with it.

One possibility for a unique introduction to this special guest is to let the audience play a simulated game show. Glen was a featured visitor on the TV game show To Tell The Truth in 2001, and he can provide a video of the episode. See if the attendees can pick out who was the real LitterWalker before he walks on stage!

The schedule for this Two-Wheels and a Dream Tour has Glen in the following cities:

Apr 23 - Severn MD	(weekend)
Apr 24 - Dahlgren VA	(schools busy testing)
Apr 25 - Tappahannock VA	(schools busy testing)
Apr 26 - Williamsburg VA	(schools busy testing)
Apr 27 - Chester VA	(schools busy testing)
Apr 28 - Farmville VA	(schools busy testing)
Apr 29 - Alta Vista VA	(weekend)
Apr 30 - Roanoke VA	(weekend)
May 1 - Pearisburg VA	(schools busy testing)
	talk at Beckley Library p.m.	(tentative)
May 2 - Beckley WV	(schools busy testing)
	talk at Oak Hill Library p.m.	contact Brenda Moore 304-465-0121
May 3 - Fayetteville WV	(schools busy testing)
May 4 - Charleston WV	at Bridgeview Elementary	contact Regina Flinner 304-766-0383
May 4 eve	talk at Gallipolis OH library	contact Betty Clarkson 740-446-7323
May 5 - Gallipolis OH	(schools busy testing)
May 6 - Portsmouth OH	(weekend)
May 7 - Ripley OH	(weekend)
May 8 - Ripley OH	Ripley Junior High
May 9 - Greenfield OH	???	contact
May 10 - London OH	???	contact
May 10 eve	talk at Kenton OH library	contact Louann Kauffman 419-673-2278
May 11 - Kenton OH	at Kenton High School	contact Mr. Davis 419-673-1286
May 11 - Pemberville OH	???	contact

COST: To simplify matters, I am suspending my normal fees for these visits. However, I accept donations to defray the costs of the tour. Most schools have donated $75-150, and many libraries have donated over $100. For any donation, I will provide two autographed copies of Underwear. Individual copies of the book can also be ordered here.

Since the tour's biggest cost is lodging, many schools have had a staff member host me the night prior to my talk, or provided a spot where I could camp overnight. Such offers are gladly accepted - traveling can be a lonely business.

Glen has spoken at schools and libraries in sixteen different states and two foreign countries. If you would like a reference, you can contact:
Carol Crolle, teacher of gifted students in Westfield, NY. She can tell how her students formed an immediate bond with Glen. Email her at CCrolle @ wacs2.wnyric.org.
Patricia Timm, a teacher in Iuka IL. Glen talked to her classes two different years. Her email address is ttimm @ postal.accessus.net .
Ron Schrantz, a teacher in the Los Angeles area. His email address is schrantzs @ netzero.net .
Michael Jedin, a teacher in Vernal UT. His email address is michael.jedin @ uintah.net .

SPECIAL OFFER: the story of his long bike ride, WOW! What a Ride!, is available for free download as a .pdf file. Click here.

For more information, email

Glen Hanket

at glen @ bikepaths.com .

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