Cooper Wetherald, who turns 10 on Saturday, has always loved riding his bike.
His mom, Green resident Andrea Wetherald, recalls the phrase “go, go, go” as his first words, and she figures it’s been since the age of three that he first hopped on a two-wheeler with no training wheels. He went on to compete in BMX racing as he got older.
Now, Cooper’s on the verge of his biggest ride yet.
The fourth grader is planning to ring in his first double-digit birthday with a 150-mile ride from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Cumberland, Maryland, along the Great Allegheny Passage trail. Cooper’s journey is part of a fundraising ride for 8Fifteen, Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that helps young people transitioning out of foster care.
It’s a cause close to his heart. In 2019, Cooper was adopted out of foster care by his parents, Andrea and Kyle Wetherald, just before his fourth birthday.
The idea for Cooper’s birthday ride came after he overheard his mom, who is a member of 8Fifteen’s board, in a virtual meeting discussing a GAP trail ride to raise money for the nonprofit as well for the challenges many foster kids face — particularly as they get older.
“So as he was hearing about just the situation that these teens find themselves in, he was asking me questions about it later and is just such an incredibly compassionate and tender-hearted kid,” Andrea said. “And it had just never occurred to him before that not everybody has a happy ending on the other side of foster care.
“And so he was just like, ‘We have to help. We have to do this.’”
With a goal of $10,000, Cooper has so far raised more than $3,200 in donations. And to prepare for the big ride, he’s been on his bike this summer, riding trails in the Akron area, plus a 22-mile ride in West Virginia.
The plan is to ride 50 miles a day with his mom and others, ending on Labor Day. Cooper said he’s a bit nervous but also excited — not only for the ride, but for snacks along the way.
“They have these little cute towns that have good food,” he said, emphasizing he’s most looking forward to snagging chicken tenders.
Andrea said they’ll be looking for a good spot to stop for some birthday ice cream as well.
