Kirk Charles, a Men’s Health contributor, plant-based advocate, author and former columnist for TheHub.news, has embarked on an awareness campaign and fundraiser for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).
On May 21, 2024, he kicked off his 1,110-mile biking journey from New York City and is on track to arrive at Lincoln Park in Chicago on June 5, where his cross-country trip will conclude.
“For the last 35 years, I’ve lived a plant-based vegan life, and I’m positive it’s saved me from a stroke, heart disease, diabetes, being overweight and God only knows what else,” said Charles via his GoFundMe page. “A lot of the insight I’ve received about plant-based eating is from PCRM, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, based in Washington D.C., led by Dr. Neal Barnard. The mission of PCRM is to save and improve human and animal lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research.”
The CDC reports that Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups. One person dies every 33 seconds from cardiovascular disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people of most racial and ethnic groups in the U.S., including African American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Hispanic and white men. For women from the Pacific Islands and Asian American, American Indian, Alaska Native and Hispanic women, heart disease is second only to cancer
Black Americans are 54% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than white Americans, despite a significant overall decline in cardiovascular disease mortality nationally.
“The ride is to inspire the African-American community to combat heart disease with a combination of cardiovascular exercise and plant-based eating, two things I’ve dedicated my life to. PCRM has many great programs and initiatives that we all need to be aware of and it’s all about improving the quality of life for you, your family, your loved ones and everyone else who wants to join the party,” Charles continues. “It’s my mission to help promote those programs and get a million people to adopt a plant-based lifestyle so the African-American community and the world at large will be healthier and happier.”
Charles has already raised over $7,000 of his $25,000 goal.
If you’d like to support his mission, you can donate via his GoFundMe campaign.
You can also sign up here for Kirk Charles’ Raw Food Challenge.
