GALLIPOLIS — A unicycle riding clown paid a visit to Gallipolis on Monday.

And the visitor was certainly no ordinary clown. “Mophe” the clown stopped through Gallipolis as part of his goal to unicycle 1,000 miles for charity.

According to Mophe, he is simply trying to spread awareness about charities and the Web site, www.GiftCardDonor.com, which is where gift cards can be donated directly to charities.

“There were 90 billion gift cards sold last year and about 8 billion of those will never be used. So why not donate your cards to charity,” Mophe said.

He added that donated gift cards can help a variety of charities. For example, grocery cards could be given to food pantries and apparel/bedding cards could be given to shelters, he said.

According to www.GiftCardDonor.com, people can donate any gift card of any value to charities on the Web site. The donor also receives a tax receipt for their donation, and donated gift cards are resold at gift card donor’s companion Web site, www.GiftCardsAgain.com, with 75 percent of the revenue going to a designated charity. The Web site is linked to several charities, including March of Dimes and Operation Smile.

Mophe stressed the importance of donating to charities especially with the current state of the economy. Although he has been a clown as a hobby, his trek across the U.S. to raise awareness for charities is a first, and he said that the response he has received across the country has been great. According to Mophe, he along with www.GiftCardDonor.com are based in Columbus, which is where he began his excursion.

“I am already close to 550 miles,” Mophe said, adding that he has already visited the country’s major cities as well as important landmarks, such as the Grand Canyon.

Prior to cycling through Gallipolis, Mophe was in Parkersburg, W.Va. He plans to travel to Ashland, Ky. and Portsmouth next to promote the importance of giving to charity. According to Mophe, his goal is to have ridden 1,000 miles by the end of November. In addition, Mophe has ridden his unicycle through various parades across the country, and plans to participate in the Jingle Bell Run in Columbus to celebrate the return from his cycling adventure.