Teacher Is Caught in a Very Good Cycle

Tori Lee believes in going the extra mile--or even an extra 4,000 miles--for her students.

For the third time, the Brea Olinda High School teacher will cycle across the United States for more than two months to raise money for the school’s disadvantaged students.

Lee, who teaches English as a second language, has made the trek from coast to coast twice before, raising more than $8,800 to defray the costs of prom, graduation and other senior activities for her students.

This year, Lee will set off down the West Coast on a ride from Vancouver to the U.S.-Mexico border with the goal of raising $5,000 in pledges from the community.

The inspiration for her trips, which she does every other summer, came from her students.

“I started looking around and realized none of my kids were going to prom, and some didn’t even go to graduation or the senior breakfast because it was too expensive,” said Lee, 37, who also serves an annual pre-prom dinner so students don’t have to pay restaurant prices.

“One student wrote in his journal that he wanted so much to go to the prom but couldn’t because he didn’t have the money. When I read that I went, ‘Yes, I can help.’ ”

Besides her direction of travel, the other change to Lee’s trip this year is not having a support vehicle. In the past, she rode with a group while a van followed carrying tents and cooking supplies. This time, she’s making the trip with three friends and towing her tent, stove and food on a small trailer that holds a single duffel bag.

“I’m definitely going to have to practice with this,” Lee said after attaching the aluminum trailer to her bike for the first time. “I keep weighing everything, too, because I want to keep it under 70 pounds. Sometimes I wonder what I’m getting myself into.”

Thinking of students’ smiles on prom night and graduation day gives her the energy to tackle mountain ranges and long stretches of asphalt, Lee said.

The first two times she made cross-country trips, people were skeptical, she said. But this year, she has a following and financial support.

To participate, send donations to Brea Olinda High School ESL Fund, 789 Wildcat Way, Brea, CA 92821. Information: (714) 990-7850.