100 reasons to do one good thing

Courtesy Photo | Staff Sgt. Casey Mceuin, the night operations non-commissioned officer in charge for 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, spins his way to 100 miles on a stationary bike at the gym on Camp Nathan Smith, March 3 during a charity event to raise awareness of good deeds. During the event charitable donations were made to TESSA Colorado Springs (Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Shelter), Multiple Sclerosis Society, Wounded Warrior Project, and the American Heart Association. (U.S. Army photo by: Master Sgt. Thomas Allen, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division)  

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN

03.06.2012

Story by Sgt. April York 

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Good deeds go unnoticed all over the world, but not this time. Two soldiers from the “Warhorse” Brigade decided to take a stand and grab some attention to promote good deeds. Sgt. 1st Class Spencer Polwort, non-commissioned officer in charge of fire support with 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, and Staff Sgt. Casey Mceuin, the night operations non-commissioned officer in charge for 2nd BCT, 4th Inf. Div., decided to ride 100 miles on stationary bikes while deployed to Afghanistan to encourage others to either give to charity or do one good deed.

“Life is short, and it takes very little to inspire or make someone smile,” Polwort said. “Sometimes it just requires minimal effort to make someone feel better or to make a difference in a life.”

“You can make a person's day by just saying hello and have a great day,” Mceuin said. “If you have never tried it, do it! When I am home in the states, at times when I go through a drive thru, I will buy the person’s order behind me.”

In preparation for this project they put together a logo, a Facebook fan page and many hours of training. They reached out to organizations to make donations to any charity of their choice while Mceuin and Polwort rode the 100 miles. There was no money collected for the event--it was purely to promote good deeds.

With varying schedules and work still to be done, Polwort and Mceuin were unable to ride the 100 miles together. Mceuin started at 11:50 a.m. and updates were posted to their fan page of his progress throughout his ride. Sweat was pouring down into his eyes as he finished in 3 hours and 13 minutes.

“I was driven to finish by thoughts of my wife and kids,” he said. “They are my inspiration to do everything I do.”

Polwort now not only had the determination to complete the ride but a time to beat. He started his 100 miles at 12:00 a.m. Live updates were also posted to the fan page during his ride. With sheer determination propelling him, he finished in 3 hours and 4 minutes.

“In the end I was exhausted but I felt good,” he said.

The event raised attention to many organization and individuals across the globe.

“We had donations to TESSA Colorado Springs [Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Shelter], Multiple Sclerosis Society, Wounded Warrior Project, and the American Heart Association just to name a few,” Polwort said. “Our numbers show the page was shared in seven different countries, more than 20 cities, and in three languages.”

“We trained for about 2 months,” Polwort said. “I think at the end, we were more curious whether the odometer would roll from 99.9 to 100.0 or back to zero—it was zero.”

“I hope this event helps people take a moment to self reflect and really look at what they can do locally to help their neighbors or community out and to make it a better place,” Polwort said. “Next year, our plan is to walk completely around Fort Carson from Gate 1 all the way around the perimeter back to Gate 1. We have initially estimated the distance at 75 miles. We envision this to be an annual event.”

• Date Taken: 03.06.2012
• Date Posted: 03.06.2012 05:15
• Story ID: 84794
• Location: KANDAHAR, AF