Cycling across the United States – For a Good Cause

When asked when he began planning his American cross country cycling journey, 55 year old Bavarian, Joerg Richter responds that it began 47 years ago. He recalls, when he was 8 years old he read a book about a man who cycled around the world. He decided then that someday he would do the same.

Richter, who works in the health insurance industry decided to approach the Care-for-Rare Foundation last September. Care-for-Rare is an organization that aims to provide modern genetic diagnosis and innovative therapeutic methods to children suffering from rare diseases. At the helm of Care-for-Rare is Dr. Christopher Klein. Dr. Klein is the head of Pediatrics at the Ludwig-Maximillians-University’s Dr. von Hauner Children’s Hospital. Dr. Klein’s research on rare diseases of the blood and the immune system earned him the prestigious Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz Prize in 2010.

The cycling trip covers the distance of 6500 kilometers. For every mile traveled, Richter’s colleagues at AOK Bayern, the largest insurance provider in Germany, will make a donation to the Care-for-Rare Foundation. Richter hopes to reach his goal of raising $20,000 but more importantly, he is raising awareness for the extraordinary work that is being done by Dr. Klein and the foundation in addition to the hospitals he has visited across the United States. For more information about Richter’s efforts or to make a donation, you can visit the Care-for-Rare website.

Richter began his bicycling tour this past June in Seattle, Washington and arrived in Boston on Sept 6th. The tour will conclude in New York on September 14th and 15th with a visit to a prominent local children’s hospital and a meeting with us at the Bavarian U.S Offices for Economic Development, the German state of Bavaria’s business promotion agency. We all wanted to officially welcome and congratulate him on this great achievement. Richter’s philanthropic endeavor not only raises awareness for this worthy cause but also shines a light on Bavaria as Germany’s premier region for BioTech and Life Science Innovation.

PS: On October 13th, the 4th Annual OktoberINVESTFest will take place in New York. The program will also feature engaging panels and presentations from some 30 Bavarian and US innovative companies in the life science and IT sectors.

# USA

# Life Sciences