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Retired S.C. officer bikes for first responder mental health awareness

“A Penny For Their Thoughts” seeks to raise a penny per mile to help responders and their families

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Christopher Lowrance will ride from Boston to Charleston as part of his “A Penny For Their Thoughts” campaign.

Photo/A Penny For Their Thoughts Facebook page

By Anne Berleant

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — A 28-year law enforcement veteran is peddling his bike nearly 1,100 miles to reflect the hundreds of responders who have died from suicide, according to WMBF News.

Christopher Lowrance, a retired Charleston, South Carolina, law enforcement officer, will ride from Boston to Charleston as part of his “A Penny For Their Thoughts” campaign. Lowrance rode over 4,000 miles during his last fundraiser ride.

“Officers carry a little piece of each call for service to which they respond,” Lowrance wrote on his campaign’s Facebook page. “Little pieces don’t weigh much. However, the weight of those tiny pieces add up over the course of a career. Sometimes officers reach the point to where they can’t carry the weight of their pieces … their experiences.”

This year, proceeds will go to Blue H.E.L.P., a nonprofit organization that collects law enforcement suicide data and supports families of officers who have died by suicide. Last year, more than 150 officers were reported to have died by suicide, according to WMBF.

Lowrance is asking for a penny per mile he covers on his bike.

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