Courtney Bibb said he left his New York City apartment the first of October. He hopped on his bicycle and rode west across the George Washington Bridge, stopping briefly at a riverfront park in Jersey City to glance over the Hudson River.

“I told myself there’s no looking back now. You’re going to learn a lot on this trip,” he said.

Embarking on a six-month bicycle trek that will cost him about $14,000, Bibb said he planned 20 stops between New York and Los Angeles where he will volunteer his time and services at a new organization within each city.

Courtney Bibb rests during the construction of a set at Theatre Lawrence.

Tuesday evening Bibb rolled into Lawrence, the 11th stop in his journey. Wednesday, he began volunteering at Theatre Lawrence.

“Each charity has a different mission statement,” Bibb said. “They’re to challenge me as to what I can do as a volunteer. I want to be able to bring a smile to every area and hopefully be able to break some barriers down.”

Kay Traver, marketing director for the theatre, said the non-profit organization depends entirely on volunteer labor and any light shed on their organization is beneficial.

“It’s so difficult in a town like Lawrence where we have so many wonderful non-profits,” she said. “People who do volunteer get used to volunteering at their one location. It’s always good for a non-profit to have more shout outs about a volunteer’s experiences there.”

Bibb said he has several goals:

• First, Bibb said he wants to treat the expedition as an adventure and keep an open mind about what may come his way.
• Second, Bibb said he wants to donate his time and bring a smile to each of his stops.
• Third, he said he wants to raise awareness on the importance of volunteering and shed light on lesser-known charities.
• Last, but not least, Bibb said he wants to take his experiences back to New York City with him and encourage children there to participate in similar selfless endeavors, regardless of their backgrounds.

“I come from doing some field tech and IT work,” he said. “I had some money in the bank and I could have gone to get a new apartment, but I was just so overwhelmed by this idea. I had to let my heart and mind be open and just go with the flow.”

Bibb said he’s spent time feeding the hungry, taking care of pets and reading newspapers on the radio for those with impaired vision. While he’s stopped in Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Louisville, Bibb said his experience in Ferguson, Mo., has made the largest impression on him so far.

“From one border to the next there are good people in our country,” he said. “It’s just unfortunate the negativity so often overshadows the goodness we have here.”

Traver said Bibb absolutely brought his positive energy to the theatre, and while it takes approximately 400 volunteers to make the theatre run all year, a single person like Bibb can certainly make a difference, she said.

At the end of the week Bibb said he plans to ride south to Wichita. And although he has yet to select a place to volunteer when he arrives, he said he’s playing the trip by ear and simply trying to enjoy his cross-country adventure.