Sunday, June 24, 2007

Need help in Kelowna

Last year, with the help of many of you, we organized and send 3 containers of bikes to Africa. Since that time, Bicycles for Humanity has encouraged and worked with many individuals and groups across Canada start B4H Chapters, partner with communities in Africa and send bikes. Groups are now in place in Vancouver, Thunder Bay, Brampton, Ottawa and Cambridge and many more communities are exploring establishing grassroots groups.

All of this started in Kelowna and we hope that it continues this year. My role in working with groups and the partners in Africa has become a full time job it leaves me no time to organize a bike collection in Kelowna. I'm keen to help, there are a lot of people who want to volunteer and donate bikes, but the responsibility for fundraising and organizing volunteers is more than I can handle right now and I need help. If any individual, group or church is interested in organizing a B4H chapter or in helping raise the funds needed, to send a container, about $7500, please let me know. I cannot manage it on my own this year, with all that is going on. It is my hope that we have a bike collection in Kelowna this summer, but without help and someone to organize and take the lead, it will be hard to make it happen.

Thanks to all who supported it last year, we have $850 already raised towards Kelowna and a further $1500 from Rotary when my home in Whistler is rented this summer, leaving us about $5,000 short and no team in place to push it over the top. if you or anyone you knows feel that this is a use full project in Kelowna, please let me know

Thanks, Humanity Rocks

Pat

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Bicycles for Humanity, June 20 Update

Hello

Well the Humanity Rocks Rotary bike ride from Whister to Ottawa is finally over. It was a very hard ride with a lot of headwinds and rain, but well worth it. Hopefully a few more people know about Bicycles for Humanity and what we as a global team are trying to accomplish. Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who followed the online journal and for their emails of support. I wanted to quit a number of times, but the encouragement and the thought of meeting the terrific teams in Thunder Bay, Brampton, Ottawa and Cambridge kept me going.

To Steve, Seb, Sandra, Maureen, Terry, Bob and Brenda and their volunteer teams, I cannot thank you enough for all you have done organizing and sending bikes from your communities to Africa. Meeting your teams and the spirit and the excitement within them was, Wow, inspiring, thanks to all so much.

The team in Thunder Bay collected 2 BEC's, Bicycle Empowerment Centres, (about 380 bikes per BEC) destined for Namibia and Zambia. St. Bartholomeus in Brampton collected 3 BEC's for Namibia and Ottawa on September 29th will be collecting a BEC for Namibia and Cambridge is in the process of finalizing their plans. In the west we will be organizing a BEC in Vancouver in the fall destined for Uganda.

The impact of empowerment through mobility for health care workers and women is life changing and everyone understand the power of a bicycle. it is our hope that more communities here will partner with African communities to help the people of Africa with their fight against Aids and a better life for their families.

Thanks again to all for the incredible achievements, riding was easy compared to what each and every one of you have done to make the world a better place for all.

Humanity Rocks


Pat

"A bicycle is the best tool for fighting aids and poverty in Africa"
www.bicycles-for-humanity.org

Sunday, June 17, 2007

The Bicycle ride across the country is over

It took 28 days of riding, but I finally made it from Whistler, B.C., to Ottawa, Ontario. This ride was a tough one, a lot of wind and rain, but very satisfying and a great way to meet all the terrific teams who organized and sent bicycles to Africa. All I can say is wow, the team in Thunder Bay are just finishing up collecting 2 containers of bikes and they are having a lot of fun doing it. In a few hours, I will be going to Brampton to meet the incredible team at ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S who organized and collected 3 containers of bikes. Last week in Ottawa and in Cambridge, I met with Seb, Bob and their teams and the excitement is moving. I know, it's just an old bike, why all the excitement, but it is much more than that, it's Grassroots Humanity in action and it's growing. Organizing and collecting bikes here is fun, but when you kcombine the efforts of the teams here with a partner community in Africa and they can communicate with their new partners, and help them directly and together make a difference, well, it takes it all to another dimension. Globally there is a massive outpouring of love and support to help those less fortunate than ourselves and a real excitement to share and care. Yes, it's a bike, but it's more, helping an entire community gain mobility and a chance for a better life and being able to work directly with the members of that community and follow up and travel there, has caught the interest of many and we hope this excitement to help others grows.

Thanks, Humanity Rocks

Pat