Maryland man’s stomach-churning way to raise money for kids

Do you like roller coasters? Maybe, but do you like it enough to take 100 trips over the course of eight hours? One Maryland man plans to do that, and all for charity.

Clint Novak will spend Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. taking repeat trips on the Wild Cat roller coaster at Adventure Park USA, in Monrovia.

Novak is a 22-year roller coaster enthusiast. His love of the thrill rides started when he worked as a roller coaster operator as a teenager. He is the co-host of the “Ride With Us” podcast with American Coaster Enthusiasts.

“It’s to raise money for Give Kids the World Village, in Kissimmee, Florida. The goal is to raise 2,500. Every time I go around the coaster once, I want to raise about $25, and I am estimated to do about 100 rides in that 8 hour period,” Novak said.

It is part of an initiative called “Coasting for Kids,” which encourages people from across the country to raise funds by riding their favorite local coaster.

All proceeds go to Give Kids The World Village.

“It is an amazing organization that gives families with critically ill children a dream vacation,” Novak said

The nonprofit covers flights and lodging, and it also pays for the families to visit Disney World, Universal Studios and even Sea World.

“They are giving families a desperately needed vacation from their problems. They are able to go down there and create new memories,” Novak said.

The coaster will be closed to the public during Novak’s trips, but if you donate $25 you can hop on with him and take a loop around the Wild Cat.

Novak is also accepting donations through his Facebook page for those who cannot attend.

Luke Lukert

Since joining WTOP Luke Lukert has held just about every job in the newsroom from producer to web writer and now he works as a full-time reporter. He is an avid fan of UGA football. Go Dawgs!

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