Orange Coast College chemistry major Bernardo Moreno Arteaga will join two friends on a bicycle ride from San Francisco to Costa Mesa in order to raise money for the CHOC Hospital Foundation this summer. The journey will commence on Aug.10 and span more than 1,600 miles before concluding in Costa Mesa on Aug. 29. Moreno Arteaga plans to stop at foster homes and high schools along the way to share his experiences as a lifelong athlete.
“The project is not only a bike ride; our team has different backgrounds in sport,” he says. “I was a professional triathlete competing for Ecuador and [my friend and co-rider] Elliot was a professional swimmer racing for France, so we plan to make different stops during the Tour at foster care homes and high schools were we will talk to the children to transmit our experiences with sport, and how it has impacted positively our lives and the lives of the people close to us.”
Moreno Arteaga chose the CHOC Hospital Foundation as a benefactor of this fundraiser after volunteering at the hospital. “During my time as a volunteer in the hospital, I was shocked to see the number of children with complicated diseases. I believe that everyone, no matter their race or socioeconomic status, must have the chance to live life at its fullest.”
This summer Moreno Arteaga is working as a medical researcher at the Cardiovascular Institute at Stanford University. He will return to OCC this fall to continue his studies, after which he plans to transfer into a four-year college and then go on to medical school. He plans to donate 100 percent of the funds he raises to the CHOC Foundation. “I think this is a way I can contribute to an important issue in my own different way.”
You can learn more about Moreno Arteaga's ride at http://theridecalifornia.com/