What is the Tillie Ride?
For one week in May 2011 (5/16-5/20), children’s book author Sue Stauffacher, accompanied by her husband, experienced cyclist Bob Johnson and various groups of schoolchildren along the way, will ride from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Chicago, Illinois, to deliver donated copies of her recently released picture book–Tillie the Terrible Swede (Knopf, January 2011) to the Chicago Public Library. In Chicago, they will stop at the Swedish American History Museum and the Sulzer branch of the library. Along the way, they will visit schools that have not had a children’s book author visit within the last five years. Click here to see our route!
The purpose of the Tillie Ride:
- Celebrate the legacy of America’s most most accomplished female bicycle racer–Tillie Anderson–in conjunction with the release of the picture book, Tillie the Terrible Swede (Knopf, January 2011).
- Get kids excited about biking as a form of recreational fitness and reading as a form of mental fitness.
- Demonstrate for kids what can be achieved through relationships and networking.
- Sue and Roger are celebrating their 50th birthdays and their 25th year of marriage.
Tillie Ride Stops:
Our education team narrowed down our schools and stops using the following criteria:
- rural or disadvantaged school that doesn’t have author visits
- past connections with Sue
- enthusiastic teachers/principals
- fits the bike route/time schedule
Here are the schools & community who were chosen:
North Park Elementary (Grand Rapids, MI)
Pine Creek Elementary (Holland, MI)
Glenn Elementary (Glenn, MI)
Coloma Middle School (Coloma, MI)
Morton Elementary (Benton Harbor, MI)
Wolford Elementary (Galien, MI)
Marsh Elementary (Michigan City, IN)
JW Cook Elementary (Chicago, IL)
Sulzer Public Library (Chicago, IL)
Swedish American Museum (Chicago, IL)