“Be Good. It was the last thing my dad ever wrote to us. It became the thing I now strive to live by every day.”
Be Good, Ride On
A story by Rebecca Rusch, Founder of the Be Good Foundation
In This Story:
- The Words That Changed Everything
- Turning a Personal Journey Into a Mission
- Joey’s Finish Line
- Why Challenge is a Gift
- Stronger Together
The Words That Changed Everything
The bicycle has always been more than just a bike to me. It has been my tool for grounding, for exploration, for personal growth. From the time I was a little girl pedaling past the edges of my neighborhood, to racing around the world as a pro athlete, to following the Ho Chi Minh Trail in search of answers about my dad’s death in the Vietnam War, movement has been my way of making sense of the world.
When I set out to ride the entire length of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in 2015, I thought I was chasing closure. My father, U.S. Air Force Captain Stephen Rusch, had been shot down over Laos in 1972. I wanted to understand more about who he was and the life he never got to finish living. That ride took me to the jungle clearing where his plane went down. I stood there with my hand on the earth where he last stood alive and felt his presence surge through me.
In his final letters home, he had signed off with two simple words: Be Good. Out there in the jungle, those words transformed from a gentle sign-off to a call to action. Be good to yourself. Be good to others. Use what you’ve been given to create something better for the people around you.
That moment changed my life. It became the reason I founded the Be Good Foundation—to use the bicycle as a catalyst for healing, connection, and stronger communities.
Turning a Personal Journey Into a Mission
Since that day, our foundation has worked to broaden access to the bike for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. We’ve helped clear unexploded ordnance in Laos. We’ve funded adaptive bikes and scholarships for first-time riders. We’ve supported veterans using cycling as therapy and gotten more girls on bikes.
Why? Because I’ve seen over and over that the bike is a powerful equalizer and amplifier. It meets you where you are, but it never leaves you there. It teaches resilience one pedal stroke at a time.
When we awarded grants in 2023, one went to Adventure For All so one of their athletes, Joey Baar, could come ride Rebecca’s Private Idaho. Joey has Down syndrome, and he was tackling the 20-mile “Tater Tots” course. From the moment he arrived, his presence lit up the community. He fist-bumped riders, cheered others on, and made every person feel seen.
Joey’s Finish Line
I remember watching Joey cross that finish line in Ketchum. He rolled in with the same joy he had been sharing all week. It wasn’t about his time or his pace. It was about his heart. He reminded all of us that showing up fully as yourself and chasing your own finish line is what truly matters.
RPI has always been about more than racing. It’s about connection, courage, and community. And Joey embodied all of that. He didn’t just ride the course, he expanded the space for what we all imagine is possible.
Why Challenge is a Gift
People sometimes ask why I’m drawn to hard things like the rides and expeditions that push you to the edge. My answer is simple: challenges are a gift. They strip away the noise and show us who we really are.
Adventure For All believes the same thing. Too often, love gets mistaken for protection, for making things easier, for keeping people from struggling. But real love is guiding someone through challenges so they can grow, gain confidence, and see what they’re capable of.
I’ve seen it in the athletes AFA works with. Given opportunity, belief, and the right tools, they absolutely can achieve what many still believe is impossible. Joey’s ride was living proof.
Stronger Together
From the very beginning, the Be Good Foundation wasn’t just about my personal journey. It was about creating a movement built on purpose, passion, and lasting change. Collaboration is at the heart of that.
Partnerships like the one between Be Good and Adventure For All show what’s possible when aligned missions come together. We’re both working to unlock human potential—theirs through programs for athletes with exceptionalities, ours through the bike as a vehicle for healing and empowerment. When we join forces, the ripple effect grows tenfold.
To the AFA community—athletes, parents, and supporters—I want to say thank you. Thank you for believing, for showing up, and for rewriting what’s possible. Our potential is not fixed. It is found, often in the moments when we face a challenge we’re not sure we can overcome.
Keep leading with love. Keep saying yes to the hard things. And keep showing up for yourself and for each other. Because when we do, we don’t just change individual lives. We change the world.
Be Good,
Rebecca
How this story speaks to AFA and our exceptional athletes:
- ✅ Demonstrates how belief, opportunity, and support can unlock extraordinary achievements for individuals of all abilities.
- ✅ Shows that finish lines are not defined by distance or speed, but by personal courage and commitment.
- ✅ Highlights the importance of creating inclusive spaces where every athlete feels they belong and are celebrated.
- ✅ Affirms that challenges are not barriers, but gifts that build self-belief, resilience, and independence.
- ✅ Demonstrates the ripple effect one athlete’s courage can have in shifting perceptions and inspiring change.
Thank you Rebecca for sharing the gift of your story around the AFA campfire. We are grateful for your passion to impact others and your endless beief in human potential.
Donate to AFA and help us continue to trek a path towards endless opportunities and growth for all humans with exceptionalities.
A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE STORY
Visit https://www.thebegoodfoundation.org/
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Blood Road TEDx Talk | Rebecca Rusch’s Journey on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
Before there was the Be Good Foundation, there was Blood Road—Rebecca Rusch’s raw and emotional 1,200-mile ride along the Ho Chi Minh Trail to find the site where her father’s plane went down during the Vietnam War. This film is more than an adventure documentary; it is a story about loss, reconciliation, and finding purpose through challenge. Watching it will help you understand why “Be Good” is more than just a phrase—it is a call to action that aligns deeply with AFA’s belief that movement can heal, connect, and transform lives.
Watch Rebecca Rusch’s share her emotional journey on the TEDx stage before you go and watch the Blood Road documentary where she rides the Ho Chi Minh Trail in search of her father’s crash site, discovering the deeper meaning of “Be Good” along the way.
Stronger Together – Ep. 5 Paving The Way Series
Adventure For All and the Be Good Foundation share a common vision—to break down barriers, rewrite the narrative, and give every athlete the opportunity to prove what’s possible. In this episode of Stronger Together, you’ll witness how our aligned missions are changing lives on and off the bike. From the finish lines of inclusive cycling events to the moments of courage it takes to start, this is the story of community, belief, and the limitless potential we see in every individual.
Watch Episode 5 of the Stronger Together series to see how Adventure For All and the Be Good Foundation are creating more inclusive cycling events and unlocking human potential.
Watch more of AFA's Films HERE
