SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Every year on his birthday, you can find Isaac Gonzalez on a stationary bike, pedaling with a purpose.
"I ride a bike for 12 hours every year on my birthday to raise money for our Y-Assist program," Gonzalez said, adding that he's on the Community Advisory Council with the Sacramento YMCA." This year I'm trying to raise $10, 000."
The first year he started pedaling, the 38-year-old raised $5,000 for the program. The second year, he raised $7,500 and last year he raised $10,000. He would like to match or beat that number in 2019.
Gonzalez explains that the YMCA isn't your typical community organization.
"A lot of people don't realize but the YMCA is a charitable organization," he said. "We don't turn people away based on financial means. So if you come here and you can't afford to sign up for swim lessons, or athletic classes...we're gonna subsidize the difference of what you can't afford."
The YMCA does this by raising money each year for its "Y-Assist" program.
"Last year we raised and gave away $90,000 in programming, just in Sacramento proper," Gonzalez said.
That's what money raised through donations and Gonzalez's birthday pedaling will go toward.
Isaac says being able to help his community is how he's able to get through such an exhausting challenge.
"It hurts after a while...you get a little sore from the repetitive motion," he said. "But I get to see some of our homeless kid campers in the summer who go to our summer day camp for free. Seeing them every year makes it really easy to do this."
Gonzalez plans to pedal until 6 p.m. Saturday if you want to stop by and cheer him on. Can't make it? Click here to help him raise money for the Sacramento Central YMCA.
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