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A Meherrin resident is looking to participate in a 184.5-mile charity bike ride to raise money for a nonprofit dedicated to family, community and mental health services, but she needs a little help reaching her goal.

Halie Waid, 25, originally of Texas, lives in Meherrin and works as a maintenance ranger at Twin Lakes State Park.

A lover of all outdoor sports, from biking to hiking to backpacking, Waid also feels passionately about helping to make the world a better place. Now, she’s hoping to combine those two passions in the form of The Great Bicycle Tour of the C&O Canal, a four-day, 184.5-mile bike ride which follows the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal from Cumberland, Maryland to Mile Marker 0 in Washington, DC.

The bike ride is the biggest annual fundraiser of San Mar Family and Community Services, a nonprofit based out of Boonsboro, Maryland. The organization has a variety of programs and services dedicated toward foster care and family services for troubled youth, preventative care to keep children with their families, mental health clinics and more.

So far, Waid has raised $335 of the $475 minimum fundraising goal required to participate in the bicycle tour. She hopes to be able to raise more funds before the first day of the ride, July 10. 100% of the funds raised go towards San Mar and its services.

Waid said she’s a firm believer what happens to children now will shape how they develop in the future. She hopes her bike ride and the funds raised to get her there, no matter the size of the donation, will help San Mar to make a difference.

To donate toward Waid’s fundraising goal, visit https://runsignup.com/haliewaid.