Biking More Than 2,000 Miles to Honor Our Veterans: Meet the April Granite Stater of the Month

Jerry Lachance of Sandown, New Hampshire, is currently undertaking an incredible feat.

At 70 years old, Jerry is currently on a more than 2,000-mile journey by bike from Florida to the northernmost tip of New Hampshire to raise funds for Project Hero, a nonprofit that builds adaptive bikes and helps support veterans and first responders impacted by injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jerry, an avid cyclist for 12 years, a volunteer firefighter of more than 20 years for the Sandown Fire Rescue, and a Vietnam veteran, wanted to find a way to give back and support the brave service members he considers to be his heroes. During one of Project Hero’s Honor Rides, Jerry met a veteran who lost his leg during his service. The veteran was using an adaptive bike that he received from Project Hero — which inspired Jerry to do more to help the organization.

In 2016, Jerry biked from the New Hampshire-Canadian border to Key West, Florida with the goal of raising $5,000. But his community was so inspired by Jerry’s ride that he ended up raising $25,000 for Project Hero.

This year, over the course of his 40-day ride, Jerry hopes to raise another $25,000 to support our veterans.

We owe our brave veterans and service members a debt of gratitude that we can never truly repay, but we must try. And efforts like Jerry’s are an example for all of us of the dedication and support we can give to those who have sacrificed bravely for our country.

Jerry Lachance has proven to be a shining example of how we can support our veterans and he embodies the values and all-hands-on-deck spirt of the Granite State. I thank Jerry for both his own military service and his commitment to our veterans, and I am honored to recognize him as our Granite Stater of the Month.

If you know an exceptional Granite Stater that you would like recognized, you can nominate them here.