Michigan Adventurer to Bike 1,000 Miles Across State to Spotlight Hidden Form of Domestic Abuse

This morning, adventurer and author Laura Killingbeck will begin an eight-week, 1,000-mile bicycle ride across Michigan. Starting in the Upper Peninsula and ending July 20 in Detroit, the journey is designed to bring visibility to a form of domestic violence many people have never heard of — but one form, advocates say, affects countless women across the state.

She’s riding for the one in three Michigan women who have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime.

In 99% of cases, financial control played a role. Survivors often face damaged credit, sabotaged employment, restricted access to money or mounting debt created by an abusive partner. The tactic, known as economic abuse, can leave women financially trapped and unable to safely leave abusive relationships.

“People often ask me if I’m scared to travel alone,” said Killingbeck. “But I keep coming back to a harder question: what does it mean that crossing a state by yourself can feel safer to some women than staying home? This ride is about that. It’s about the freedom that every woman deserves and not enough women have.”

Killingbeck’s statewide trek, called the Choose The Bear Tour, is a partnership with orsa credit union, a Michigan-based financial institution whose name means “she-bear.” Over the course of the ride, Killingbeck will stop in communities throughout both peninsulas, meeting with survivors and organizations supporting victims of domestic violence to better understand, and document, what economic abuse looks like in Michigan.

The tour’s title draws inspiration from a viral 2024 social media question asking women whether they would rather encounter a man or a bear while alone in the woods. Many women chose the bear, sparking national conversations about safety, trust and lived experiences. Killingbeck, whose solo expeditions frequently take her through bear country, later reflected publicly on the discussion, saying the ride aims to continue the conversation in a deeper way.

For orsa credit union, the campaign aligns with a mission rooted in its history. Founded 75 years ago at the Daisy Air Rifle factory in Plymouth, the credit union says its name honors Daisy, a maternal bear figure symbolic of protection and guidance.

“Credit unions were built to walk alongside people in their brightest moments and darkest ones,” said Tansley Stearns, President and CEO of orsa credit union. “When women have access to safe financial tools, real resources and a community that believes them, impossible things become possible.”

Killingbeck’s trek builds on orsa’s broader Choose The Bear initiative, launched in 2024 to address domestic violence and economic abuse in Michigan. Through the program, the credit union says it has distributed more than $200,000 in survivor loans to over 65 women, helping recipients secure housing, transportation and stability for themselves and their children. The organization has also developed trauma-informed staff training, mail-free banking options for survivors concerned about surveillance and website safety features designed for quick exits.

Backed by a coalition of Michigan survivor resource organizations  whose reach spans all 83 counties in the state: FirstStep, The Women’s Center of  Marquette, Hope Shores Alliance, On The Wings of Angels, Uniting Three Fires  Against Violence, River House Inc., HAVEN, MCEDSV, Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan, and The House of Kadence.

As she travels, Killingbeck will publish weekly reflections chronicling conversations with survivors, advocates and community leaders. When the journey ends in Detroit, organizers say she will donate the expedition bicycle to another woman preparing for a major life transition — an effort meant to symbolize independence and forward momentum.

Follow the journey at ChooseTheBearTour.org and on social using #ChooseTheBearTour. To donate to the Choose The Bear Fund, visit  ChooseTheBearTour.org.