May 5, 2010

Yeow!  I've got followers, so I guess I need to post something!

In a little over two weeks I start "Jeff's big ride" -- me and my bike:

... riding across the United States [pictured below (not to scale)]:

Twelve other riders and I will start from Yorktown VA on Sunday May 23, and, if all goes according to plan, will arrive in Florence OR twelve weeks later, on August 10.  It's Adventure Cycling Association's van-supported (i.e., they haul tents and luggage) 2010 Trans-Am tour.  My hope is to post pictures and comments to this blog as I wend my way westward.  But first, some business:

Biking for a Cause -- "Wheels for Africa"  I’ve been looking for a way to turn this trip into something good and concrete (for something other than my thighs!), and just recently this PERFECT cause appeared on my radar screen.  "Wheels for Africa" provides bicycles for orphaned children – orphaned, for the most part, due to the AIDS epidemic – living in villages near the southern end of Lake Malawi and attending school in the Malawi Children’s Village, an independent, non-sectarian organization operated by Malawians (http://www.malawichildrensvillage.com/). The Village provides health, nutritional, community organization, and educational support to over 2000 children in 37 communities whose parents have died of AIDS. Without these bicycles, many of the children have to walk several miles to get to class, and often aren’t able to attend school at all. Not only will the bicycles ensure that the students arrive at school regularly, and on time, and less fatigued, but they will also serve an important income-producing role – bicycles are often used as taxis, and for moving goods for trade or sale.

Community Bikes, in partnership with the Youth Policy Institute, has identified a Chinese manufacturer who will produce high-quality basic bikes for $45 per bike. (YPI has a contact in China who has visited the factory and who asserts that the bikes are of particularly high quality and the workers well treated.) Getting the bikes from China to Malawi adds roughly $5 to the cost of each bike.

So, sponsor me at a penny a mile and, if I make it all 4,200 miles from the Atlantic to the Pacific, you’ve just bought most of a bike for a child in Malawi. Or a penny-and-a-half, which will cover a whole bike and shipping costs, with some left over for the next bike; or two cents; or more; or less – whatever you feel you can spare. There are no administrative costs associated with the Wheels for Africa project – every penny raised goes directly toward the purchase and delivery of the bikes. And every penny donated is tax deductable, since all Wheels for Africa donations will be handled by the Youth Policy Institute, Inc., a 501[c]3 charitable organization.

How to Donate  Send me an e-mail message (jeffclarkmoore@gmail.com); put “Wheels for Africa” in the subject line. Tell me how much you pledge to donate per mile. I’ll contact you at the end of the ride to give you the exact final mileage figure and payment details.  It's that simple.

BTW, if you want to know a little more about Wheels for Africa, or the two main sponsoring organizations (Community Bikes and the Youth Policy Institute) please shoot me an e-mail and I'll do my best to try to fill you in. The Wheels-for-Africa program is pretty seat-of-the-pants, so there isn't an official website or a fancy-schmancy electronic set-up for making donations – thus the extremely low-tech arrangements. Personally, I find that humble aspect kind of appealing, and I think it's a big reason why administrative costs are zero. And speaking of personally, and zero, I also know the head of YPI personally, so I have absolutely zero doubt that this cause is 100% legit.

That's it for now. If you feel moved to contribute to Wheels for Africa, that would be great. Otherwise, I ask only for your good wishes – health, safety, clear skies, minimal flat tires, and good tailwinds, if you're interested in specifics.