Sometimes it’s easy to forget how a simple act of kindness can change lives. When times are tough, it can be hard to stay positive. But on Tuesday, September 13, UMPI welcomed someone who is changing lives one hug and high five at a time. David Sylvester, cyclist, filmmaker and author, visited with students and faculty. He gave a talk in the Campus Center that night. His goal was to share his positive message and give hugs and high fives to everyone he met.
UMPI is just one of the many places Sylvester has gone to on his “Hugs and High Fives” tour. During a tour, he usually travels by bike. He stops at different towns and cities, volunteers for charities and nonprofits and talks to people. Sylvester has visited 35 states and 22 countries. His trips have brought him across the U.S. and to Africa, Asia and Australia. So why hugs and high fives? Why travel around the world? Those are questions that Sylvester answered while sharing his story at UMPI.
While growing up, Sylvester’s closest friends were twin brothers Kevin and Kelvin Bowser. They were 10 years older than Sylvester. But he idolized them. Then on September 11, 2001, the terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City happened. Kevin Bowser worked at the World Trade Center. One of the hijacked planes hit the floor that he worked on.
Struggling with his grief, Sylvester asked himself “Do I do something or do I do nothing?” He ended up cycling across the U.S. in 2002. He raised money for a charity in Kevin Bowser’s name. Sylvester’s plan for after the trip was to return to his everyday life. But then a newspaper reporter from The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote a story about his trip. People from around the world started calling and emailing Sylvester. They all said that his story inspired them. One person started working at a community garden. Another decided to finally fill out their graduate school application.
“I was able to inspire people to do a lot of things, so I felt humbled,” Sylvester said. “I felt a part of something and I wanted to be a part of something more.”
Sylvester wanted his next trip to be “bigger than his fears.” So he biked across Africa as part of a bicycle race. After that trip, he planned to bike across South America. But then Sylvester was involved in a bad car accident. A drunk driver crashed into Sylvester’s car. A 2 inch knob from Sylvester’s car got stuck in his knee.
Doctors told Sylvester he wouldn’t be able to walk again. For a while he felt hopeless. But while Sylvester tried to recover, people he had met during bike trips sent him gifts and good luck charms. Later on, Sylvester learned to walk again, though he still has a hitch in his step. Having peoples’ support had given him the strength to try harder.
“I was so fortunate to have people rush to my aid. I wanted to walk again for them more than I wanted to for myself,” Sylvester said.
After he recovered, Sylvester taped pictures of people that he’d met all over his bike. There were 122 pictures. He rode that bike on his next cycling trip through Asia. But that journey was different than past trips. Sylvester was not just cycling for himself. He cycled for the 122 people that were on his bike. All those people inspired Sylvester to keep pedaling both on his bike and in life. It was also the trip that began his tradition of hugs and high fives.
Sylvester could have easily stopped cycling after such a long, hard trip. Instead, he found a way to make his trips even more meaningful. On his next U.S. trip, Sylvester volunteered at nonprofits in the towns and cities that he stopped in. Since he has spent every trip helping out at places such as domestic violence shelters, cancer treatment centers and animal shelters. Along the way, people have shared their own stories with Sylvester. He wants everyone to know that if they want change to happen they have to trust their instincts.
“I think a lot of times people wait for a sign or for someone else to step up,” Sylvester said. “Take the shot. What’s the worst that can happen? You miss? So what? If you take the shot in life and miss, you can learn a lot from it.”
Taking the “shot” gave Sylvester the chance to write a book about his cycling experiences. He sold and signed copies of that book, “Traveling at the Speed of Life,” after his talk. Many UMPI students attended Sylvester’s talk. Esmeralda Galvan, a psychology major, enjoyed hearing Sylvester’s story.
“I thought it was very inspiring,” Galvan said. “I like how there was always something he was moving towards.”
Alyssa Edwards, a sophomore athletic training major, said, “He shows that you should not give up no matter what. The smallest thing could impact a life in a huge way.”
Sylvester only came to UMPI for one day. But his mission to change lives will last much longer. Next year he will drive through 48 states in the U.S. for another round of his “Hugs and High Fives” tour. Sylvester will partner with many charities. He wants to spread their message of hope to everyone who needs to hear it. He gave his audience at UMPI their own challenge.
“Go hug three people a day for the next three days. Make sure you emphasize ‘How are you feeling really?’” Sylvester said. “Everyone in this room could change a life.”
There are lots of ways to impact peoples’ lives. But often people just need to be themselves and listen to what others have to say. That is what Sylvester does every day. At UMPI, he showed students and faculty that making a difference is easier than they think. Sometimes all it takes is getting on a bike and going somewhere.
