Across America Rides With the Wind!

"For the last two days we have been riding through the Columbia River George.  We have been hopping between the Oregon and Washington sides whenever we hear of a nice back road or town.  This morning we cycled through the historic Columbia River highway.  Most people don't use it anymore since the faster highway 84 was build.  It makes a wonderful cycling route.  There are great views of the gorge and lookout points with historic information signs all along it.  We enjoyed cycling down the loops of the old highway after a long climb. As we went further east we ran in the vast wind farming operation.  There are thousands and thousands of them.  The gorge is windy and thankfully it blows west to east.  It's eerily silent as we cycle full speed because we ride with the wind.  Yesterday we ran into Multnomah waterfall almost by accident.  The falls are high and graceful.  The water is mostly mist by the time it gets to the ground.  We are in Rufus, OR now.  Tomorrow we have a long stretch to Hermiston, OR.  Everything seems to work more smoothly the more time goes on.  We go more miles.  The highpoint today I believe was the ice cream.  We found a truck stop with more flavors than I have ever seen." -- Jabcob, Trip Leader

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Good bye to the Pacific

Blogging is new to me but I am giving it my best shot to keep you updated on Kennedy's progress across America. We received a txt from her late Saturday night saying she was "alive and she loved us". Wasn't a lot of information but sure was relief to just hear something from her. The Teen Trek leader blogs every couple of days which gives us a little more information as to where the group is and where they are heading. She did use her debit card sometime yesterday in Kelso, WA. Kennedy is on her 3rd full day of riding and has almost raised $3,000 so far. Please help her to reach her goal of $10,000 by the end of her 55 day journey.To donate click here Pedaling for Pencils

Across America Trek says good bye to the Pacific Ocean as they turn east and never look back. Smiles are on all the faces of the teens as they peddle those first 50 miles of the 3500+ journey. Riding a little north to meet up with the Columbia River the group has set their sights on Clatskanie, OR

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Friday, June 22, 2012

Today we put our bicycles together and practiced riding. Everyone has really nice bicycles and gear. I can tell they are taking this Trek seriously. In the morning we cycled around Seaside, OR and talked about bike safety. Around 4pm we decided to go on our first real ride. Another town called Cannon Beach was 10 miles south. That town was our goal. Even though it was a short ride it was a good test of

our mettle because of the hills. Once in Cannon Beach we explored the town, got some fudge, and saw Haystack Mountain. (It's a big boulder in the water) Then it started to rain so we headed back. We are looking forward to dinner; chicken strips, salad, and spaghetti. Also tonight our group will be complete when David and Julia join us at 8 pm. Tomorrow we start for real. We will dip our bikes into the Pacific Ocean and head east through the Columbia River Gorge. Only some 3,500 miles to go. Everyone is in high spirits. -- submitted by Jacob Brown - Trip Leader

Welcome to Seaside

While my nose was buried in a book the man next to me said, "Welcome to Portland!" I was shocked to see that outside of the airplane window were these BIG mountains, that still had snow on them. The man wished me luck on my adventure and off we went. While at breakfast my parents and I were talking about my route. The man next to us joined in the conversation curious to know more. It was incredible how many people wanted to know about my journey and how quickly my adventure was spreading to the public. Pencils of Promise blew up Facebook and Twitter with encouraging posts. My friends and family continued to wish me luck. I assembled my bike and re-packed my panniers to make sure I had everything. My parents and I explored Seaside and Astoria for a bit. Then I had two great conversations. The first was an interview with Kaelyn from 303magazine.com. We had a nice chat about my trip and she is excited to write an article about it. Then I talked to Gene Gurkoff, the founder of Charity Miles. We talked about my trip and Charity Miles is going to sponsor 10 cents per every mile that I ride. (I encourage everyone to download Charity Miles, and work out for Pencils of Promise. They will sponsor 25 cents per mile if you are running or walking as well as 10 cents per mile that you bike. It is simple and it is for a great cause!) Now I am waiting for the rest of the Trekkers to join me in Seaside. From there we will go to Seaside International Hostel and then grab some dinner. We will assemble our bikes in the morning and go for a 30 mile practice ride. Saturday morning we will dip our tires in the Pacific and begin our trek to the east. This entire ride will be a mental struggle as we face different terrains, but luckily every time I feel like giving up I will have an image of a big smile. That smile will belong to a child somewhere who is seeing their classroom for the first time. That smile and my goal of building a classroom will be my motivation to get through the tough days. Please continue to donate at www.pedalingforpencils.stayclassy.org and continue to follow my blog which will be updated regularly by my wonderful mother and the letters I write to her detailing my experience.

Training

8 months ago, I had this crazy idea that I would just hop on a bike and make my way across the country. Little did I know, biking 100 miles a day isn't something that a person can just decide to do one morning. Two weeks ago I began my training. When I saw that all I had to ride was 30 miles, I figured it would be pretty easy. Oh, how I was wrong. The first 20 miles were driven by adrenaline, but that did not last for the final 10 miles. I pushed through it and needless to say I went to bed without doing my homework. The next ride was pretty good, but I found the more miles I did the more of a mental challenge it became. 

All of last week I had to battle myself to go to the gym and just bike. But on Saturday morning while I was in the gym all alone biking, I was able to think. Training is going to be hard, but not as hard as getting up every morning around 5am and biking 100 miles through the heat, for 55 days straight. I was able to take a step back and really think about what I was getting myself into.

 If I were doing this ride just because I needed something to do all summer, I probably would have given up by now. But the thing is, I am doing this ride because I truly believe in the cause I am supporting. I envision a world where every child is given the opportunity to go to school inside a well structured building. I envision a world where every child can have school supplies. I envision a world where children can become students. Pencils of Promise sets out to achieve this. Every morning I will get on my bike and pedal to the end because I know I am helping change lives. I have 55 days to make an impact and I am determined to do whatever it takes to make sure I finish all 3,880 miles. 

Continue to follow my progress this summer and be sure to donate by clicking the phrase #55daystochangelives 

#55daystochangelives

Fundraising Update

         As my trip approaches, I felt the need to give everyone an update on the progress we are making. So far we have raised about $750!!! We are almost to $1,000. It is amazing, since the only people who know are the people that are on Facebook and Twitter. Lots of talking has been happening which is awesome. The Culver community has been extremely interested and supportive.

         I recently just received the Barefoot Grant for $500. I used that money to buy 2,000 custom made Pedaling for Pencils, pencils. I will be selling them for $0.50 and they will also be free to anyone that donates. We are hoping to raise $1,000 or more with the pencils.I will also have a booth at alumni weekend which will be great!

         I have been in communication with Pencils of Promise and they are super excited to see what Pedaling for Pencils can accomplish.

         I also just received my workout to begin training for my bike trip. Let's just be honest, the first week is going to kick my butt. I get home from school on June 4th and only have till June 13th to become best friends with my bike before I send it off to Oregon.

         Keep following my progress and keep spreading the word! My ride has now become more than just a fun summer experience. It has turned into a challenge that will be driven by the goal of changing the lives of students in Guatemala,Nicaragua, and Laos. I am determined to make a difference for them because they are changing my life by motivating me to go Coast to Coast on my bike.

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 Keep up the great work!! 

Senior Service Project Introduction

                                 Click HERE to make an Online Donation !
My name is Kennedy Donnelly and I am from Denver, Colorado. I am currently a junior in high school at Culver Academies, a boarding school in Culver, Indiana. During the fall of my junior year I was asked to begin thinking about my Senior Service Project and the type of project I wanted to take on. I knew that I didn’t want to do something easy, I wanted to be challenged. I was walking around the Culver campus one day when I began to think about how fortunate I am to have a beautiful school with the finest facilities. I began to reflect on how there are so many children in our world that do not even have a building to have a class in. From then on I knew I wanted my project to be related to children’s education and I knew that I was going to incorporate it with an extreme adventure. During the summer of 2012 I will be biking across America to raise money for children’s education.

I came across an organization called Pencils of Promise, which raises money to fund education for children in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Laos; their story inspired me. The founder asked a child, “What do you want most in the world?” The child’s response was, “A pencil.” I was intrigued by this organization because they took that one child’s wish and now fund children’s education and build schools in those three countries. I also wanted to be able to do something that would challenge me physically and mentally because every day there are children struggling to do simple tasks. Convincing my parents to let me bike across America was tough, but I found a way to persuade them by tying biking across America with my Senior Service Project. I named my project, Pedaling for Pencils, the journey across America for a child’s future. My vision is to help create awareness of the issue that there are children who can’t afford an education and whose futures are limited.

         After I found my route to serve others, I had to establish a route across the country. I found Teen Treks , a camp that takes students all over the world on bikes. I will be riding with Teen Treks from Oregon to New York, stopping at all the states in between and a part of Canada. I will be carrying all of my equipment from tents to tools on my bike, and I will be camping or staying in hostels along the way. In order to achieve all 3,880 miles, I will ride 50 to 100 miles every day. It will take me around 55 days.  I believe it is important to have to work hard for what I want to achieve and this adventure will be extremely challenging. 

           My goal is to raise $10,000 by the end of the summer. That money would allow Pencils of Promise to build a classroom and fund the education of 400 children. Additionally, I would like to raise $15,000 by June 2013 to build an entire school.

         A piece of wood with a strip of graphite that cost about 10 cents to make can change the life of a young boy or girl. The materials that are easily accessible to students like myself are often taken for granted. There are more than 75 million children without access to education, and together we can do something about it. Education is a cause that's truly important to me, so I'm excited to join the Pencils of Promise movement that empowers lives around the world by building schools for children in need. Your financial support will make the dream of an education a reality for so many children. All they need is one pencil to start and with your donation they can.

Click HERE to make an Online Donation !

Checks can also be mailed directly to me:
Kennedy Donnelly 
PO Box 280963
Denver, CO 80228