VIDALIA &8212; On Monday, a Kentucky man was in the Miss-Lou for the second time in two years as part of nationwide cycling tour.

And he&8217;s doing it to raise awareness of the sacrifices of emergency and military workers &8212; and money for the families some have left behind.

Don Boehly, 50, a laid-off handyman from Grayson, Ky., started in September 2004 on his tour of all 50 states. So far, Boehly &8212; who had cycled as a hobby for 30 years &8212; has pedaled through 32 states, logging 15,367 miles.

As it&8217;s now planned, the tour will conclude in New York on Sept. 11, 2006, the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

Although he has no relatives or close friends in law enforcement, fire departments or the military, Boehly said he has always been impressed that someone he&8217;s never met is ready to give his or her life to save his.

Public appreciation of fire and police workers and the military was at full steam right after Sept. 11, 2001. But after about three months, Boehly noticed those shows of appreciation declining.

Yet emergency personnel put themselves in harm&8217;s way every day, not just in special situations, he said. And soldiers and sailors also never know when this day on the front lines could be their last.

When such personnel are killed or injured, their families are left without that income. And when that loved one dies, the mother or father a child came to for advice and support is gone.

So Boehly sold everything he had and left home on his bike &8212; with a 100-pound backpack and bedroll to boot &8212; to raise awareness of emergency and military workers&8217; sacrifices.

His other purpose is to call attention to nonprofits that raise money for their families of slain or injured fire, police and military personnel.

The money is used to provide those families basic needs and to pay for counseling their children might need.

Boehly directs those he meets to his Web site, www.9-11usa.com, which lists contact and other information for those nonprofits.

&8220;People can even use (the site) to check on the legitimacy of these organizations,&8221; Boehly said.

Boehly said he has no way to check on how much money those nonprofits have raised because of his Web site, because it simply serves as a pass-through.

&8220;It could be $5 million or $5,000,&8221; he said.

But along the way, he&8217;s collected more than just money &8212; he&8217;s also collected many fond memories.

For example, he spent Sunday night at the Natchez Fire Department and some of Monday at the Vidalia Fire Department, receiving a warm welcome at both places.

He sleeps in police and fire stations during his overnight stops and, at least on one occasion, slept in a jail&8217;s visiting quarters in Crockett, Texas.

&8220;A minister conducted Sunday church services for the inmates, and he invited me to the service,&8221; Boehly said. &8220;I didn&8217;t know what to expect, but when they introduced me all of those inmates applauded. It was something to remember.&8221;

But Boehly&8217;s main goal is clear &8212; that the public remember those who give their lives to save others.

Boehly is also writing a book about his tour, with all proceeds going to help the families of slain or injured emergency and military workers.