Ed Shevlin is a man on the move. In his “9 to 5” he's behind the wheel of a garbage truck, cleaning-up after us as one on “New York's Cleanest.” His total immersion in all things Irish moved this high school dropout to an advanced study of the Irish language in its native land and to teach it when he returned home. He's a man moved by a good cause, and his grassroots work in the community and charities have earned him many awards and honors.

As Shevlin guides his truck through its Rockaway Beach route, his sights are set on another Rockaway Beach, a continent away in California. On September 22 he plans to get the motor running and head out on the highway on his Harley to that western Rockaway in a quest to raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. He's using Facebook to publicize the trek and attract donations towards the $50,000 he hopes to raise for the JDRF.



On the Facebook page “Shevy's ride for the JDRF Kids” he explains, “This past March I was honored by Speaker Christine Quinn and the New York City Council with the Thomas Manton Award for service to the people of the City of New York and my personal achievements in academia. I am now hoping use this notoriety to benefit the children who suffer from Juvenile Diabetes. The research that is funded by the JDRF benefits children all over the world so I am reaching out to every corner of the globe and asking for help. This wretched disease tears families apart...”

Wishing a safe and successful trip to Irish Ed and hope he gets to spread a little of the Irish language along the way.

Ádh mór ort!

To see a New York Times video on Shevlin.