Hello, I’ve had a life long love of cycling. (other than a few years, off on, when I was smoker. Nada since 6/24/93!) It began early in high school when my 17 year older step-brother loaned me his custom (French built late; 50’s early 60’s?) magnesium frame 8 spd touring bike. It was light as a feather and had climbing gears to be believed. (Ron had co-managed a bike shop) In my early 20’s, a girl friend and I did a 1 1/2 month long self sustained tour of the Canadian Maritime Provinces, leaving from Boston, riding up the New England Coast, touring Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and over to Newfoundland. (by chance, we got to meet the 1976 Canadian Olympic Cycling Coach) Moving to Holland MI in the late 70’s I joined the now defunct “Tulip City Two Wheelers” club. I attended a number of local charity rides. Was a Committee member on the Grand Rapids-Holland “MS-150” bike tour. Moving to the Grand Rapids area I joined the Rapid Wheelmen Bicycle Club. While holding the Membership chair, I got the Board to approve purchasing a # of sets of “Share the Road” signage that we donated to the cities of; Grand Rapids, Grandville, Wyoming, Kentwood Rockford. I was a volunteer with the “Grand Rapids Safe Kids Coalition”, helping to put on bike Rodeos and distributing-fitting free kids helmets at other cycling events. I was also a volunteer with the Kent County Sheriff Dept’s. “Trail Patrol Program”, patrolling the local trail system throughout Kent Co. In 2005 I found out about the Ride of Silence (RofS). Having been hit a couple of times while riding, (worst injury a separated shoulder that kept me off the bike most of the summer) I organized the first RofS in Grand Rapids that year, and began contacting bike clubs shops across MI on organizing. MI led the world in # of locations in 2006-2007. After 2007’s Ride, RofS Founder Chris Phelan asked me become the organization’s Vice President on the Board of Directors he was forming. (my initiative of bringing on new locations, not just in MI, but worldwide). Through 2020, MI averaged 27.9 locations annually. It wasn’t until 2016 when CA had 28 locations that any State (or country) reached 27 in a single year! Over the years I have held a number of positions with the organization; Mentor, MI Director, later renamed Coordinator, (I was the first, have recruited all Coordinators except one listed on the RofS website) and Sr. Outreach Director I was Grand Rapids organizer from 2005-13, Co-Org’d in Spring Lake MI in 2014, and Holland’s organizer since 2015. Have also organized a # of special RofS “Tribute Rides”, Rides that do not take place on the 3rdWed. in May, but sadly around the date when a fellow cyclist has been hit and killed. I currently serve the RofS organization as their unofficial Historian / Statistician. I am honored to become an Ambassador for “It Could Be Me”, hopefully to meet other Ambassadors and advance its Mission. Mark