He’s on a roll
Former Denver Post employee is in-line skating across America to raise money for kids charity
Mike Lempko is giving new meaning to the phrase “light on your feet” this summer.
A former Denver Post employee, Lempko quit his job in the newspaper’s advertising department in March to pursue his latest endeavor: in-line skating across the country.
As a lifelong hockey player, in-line skating came naturally to the 26-year-old as he commuted to and from work in Chicago and later to The Denver Post’s former downtown office.
Lempko began in-line skating seriously six years ago. He started in-line skating from Denver to Boulder and back, and gradually increased his round-trip treks to Idaho Springs and Georgetown.
After several trips of more than 75 miles, Lempko decided to commit to in-line skating across America. He quit his job, sold his apartment and made his way to San Francisco — where he set off May 28 on his 3,800mile journey eastward.
“I dabbled with the idea for a while, and eventually it got to the point where I decided if I didn’t try it, it would be a lifetime regret,” Lempko told The Denver Post from a diner in Hoxie, Kan., after a long day on the road.
With just his backpack and some sporadic riders for company, Lempko has completed about one-third of his journey, which will end at Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, N.Y.
As he in-line skates across America’s highways, back roads and side roads, Lempko not only is fulfilling his dreams of traveling, he is raising money for No Kid Hungry, a national initiative that focuses on providing school breakfasts and lunches to underprivileged children.
He kicked off his campaign with a video and has been documenting his coast-to-coast trip on social media.
So far, Lempko’s Go Fund Me account has raised $12,700 — 90 percent of which will be donated to No Kid Hungry, with the remaining 10 percent assisting to offset the cost of his trip.
Barring any collisions with semi-trucks on the highway, Lempko intends to reach Brooklyn by the end of September before returning home to Buffalo, N.Y., to figure out his next steps.
For the remaining two-thirds of his journey, Lempko will be making early morning starts and enjoying the hospitality of strangers he meets along the way.
“People really go out of their way to help,” he said. “And it’s really uplifting when they do.”