At this point in our Cycle of Hope ride across the country for Habitat for Humanity, Barbara and I are having a little time to reflect. We are primarily doing this trip to:
1.) Raise $71,000 for Habitat for Humanity at my age of 71. We now have $56,000 so only $15,000 to go!
2.) To raise awareness for Habitat for Humanity to as many people as possible.
3.) To show that most people do not have to "retire" at 65 and can do other things in life. I know I still have
a lot to offer
despite 2 hip replacements, prostate cancer (successfully treated), several blood clots, a broken collar
bone from riding a bike and rotator cuff surgery. My doctors have been good to me!
4.) Just to do it and see our great country in a different way.
5.) Last but not least in memory of my good friend Dr. Jack Bagshaw who died of cancer this past August
just before we left on our ride. He was a dear and loyal friend for over 20 years. Barbara and I miss him
very much.
We are enjoying this ride and so far Barbara has not tried to run me over with the car for being a pain! She is working very hard to manage the logistics of this ride and keep our personal and business affairs back home in order while I mostly ride, eat and sleep. Also, a special thanks to "Team Bob" who are my group of volunteers back in California that are assisting me every day with the donations, website and technical assistance along with planning my Habitat stops.
We have visited 3 Habitat cities, Phoenix, El Paso and Austin and have 7 more to go! These stops have been the real high points of my trip (and emotional) as Barbara and I get to see the money and volunteer work in action assisting real people in need of housing and now Scholarship opportunities. These homes are not handouts as families have to give 500 "sweat equity" hours of work into their own home and others along with taking classes to learn about mortgages and home responsibility. With 7 more cities to go....we just learned that are final arrival city of St. Augustine Florida is already planning a bunch of riders to ride with me through the city along with a police escort which will be extremely exciting as I finish this trip!
Last...I finally want to thank all the donors, sponsors and readers of this website. Please pass it to others so that they can follow this trip and donate if they desire. If you have not yet donated, we would appreciate anything, no matter how small. We understand that since we have started this trip our Country's economy has been on a real downward ride....but every penny helps as 9% of all donations go to Habitat's overhead costs and the remaining goes to assisting families in need. I am really working hard to hit this goal of $71,000 and hope that your name will be listed on our sponsor page by the time I finish. Thank you all again for your support!
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