Two military brothers pedal nearly 185 miles in support homeless veterans in Columbus

Kelby Hutchison
·3 min read
5

The C&O canal towpath is 184.5 mile-long dirt and stone path that runs from Cumberland, MD, to Georgetown, Washington, DC, and contains rough terrain to navigate for a cyclist.

Yet, that’s what Kevin Loncher and his half-brother Bill Bosworth did to help raise money for homeless veterans.

Loncher and Bosworth rode in support of the Plummer Home, which helps homeless veterans by providing them a place to stay until they can get back on their feet.

Loncher, an army veteran, and his brother, a marine veteran, set out on October 4 to blue skies over the Potomac River as part of the “Restore Our Heroes Challenge.”

However, the good weather wouldn’t last forever.

A view of part of the trail along the C&O Canal Towpath that Kevin Loncher and Bill Bosworth biked to help raise money and awareness for the Plummer Home in Columbus.
A view of part of the trail along the C&O Canal Towpath that Kevin Loncher and Bill Bosworth biked to help raise money and awareness for the Plummer Home in Columbus.

The pair would ride until they had to stop for the night and set up camp while eating trail mix without a hot meal that night.

“You know, it’s like this for a lot of people all the time that are homeless,” Loncher said he realized along the journey.

Loncher and his brother pushed on through the bad weather. He said he remembered what homeless veterans go through and then the ride didn’t seem as hard.

On the last day of the ride when it was raining, the two came across a group of runners covered in mud who were training for the Marine Corp Marathon.

Loncher said seeing the runners helped encourage him to push on as he said, “At least we’re riding bikes.”

“Misery loves company. So, when you see other people that are struggling through it, it makes you want to push even harder,” Loncher said.

The pair rode into Washington on October 7 and were greeted by their sister, Jennifer Bosworth.

Loncher said they plan on making this an annual event and hope to have more teams join in to help raise money and awareness for homeless veterans and the Plummer Home.

A photo of one of the campsites Kevin Loncher and Bill Bosworth stayed at while biking along the C&O Canal Towpath.
A photo of one of the campsites Kevin Loncher and Bill Bosworth stayed at while biking along the C&O Canal Towpath.

The Plummer Home

For homeless veterans, The Plummer Home is a respite from the streets. Founded in 2010 by the late Reverend Roy G. Plummer as a shelter for homeless veterans, the organization has helped more than 500 homeless veterans, said Plummer Home Board Chairman Greg Jordan.

Plummer served as a colonel in the Army, finishing his career as the chief of chaplains at the fomer Fort Benning, now called Fort Moore, was a pastor for Faith Tabernacle Community Church for 28 years and was director of Army instruction for the JROTC program in the Muscogee County School District, according to Ledger-Enquirer reporting.

The Plummer Home currently has a house for male veterans shelter at 1214 18th street, a female veterans shelter at 965 Coral Drive and has partnered with Safehouse ministries for additional shelter should the need arise.

Jordan said Plummer Home has a partnership with the Freedom Home and has 25 allotted bedrooms for overflow.

Jordan said one of the goals of the Plummer Home is to continue to grow to be able to do more for homeless veterans.

The Plummer home recently closed on the house on 18th street and plans are underway to renovate the structure.

The renovation process of the Plummer Home’s 18th street home is still underway with a recent installation of windows in the house after the Plummer Home received a donation by Window World.

The Plummer Home is starting the “12 Days Of Restoring Homeless Veterans Campaign” this holiday season in order to help support homeless veterans, according to Loncher.