Biking through the Bayou

PEPY Rides are always an adventure.  Even though the PEPY Hurricane Relief Ride took us down paved roads in the US, it was no less of an adventure than peddling through the backroads of Cambodia.  Our team was constantly finding new ways to experience Louisiana culture.  Kristen found a new love for alligators, and the rest of us slowly got over our fear.  Daniela discovered a new and efficient way to shower with fire hoses. Steve's family in Donaldsonville fried up half a lake of fish and introduced us to Cajun home cooking.  Sara spotted a swimming hole and told everyone the road was closed up ahead so we could spend a lazy afternoon swimming in Bayou Corne.  Brigid's bike, with its never-ending flat tires, gave Mark an opportunity to find new and creative uses for duct tape.  Maryann found that getting lost on a straight road is somehow still possible. Pat wowed us all with his creative rendition of "Bike Bike Baby", and Jim took the Boy Scout motto of "Be Prepared" to a whole new level with his trailer full of tools. Through it all, we found that in Louisiana, as in Cambodia, the generosity of individuals is overwhelming.   A picture is worth a thousand words, but even pictures can't describe the feeling of shock and devastation experienced while riding through hurricane affected areas in Louisiana.  images of torn down buildings or trashed homes give some indication, but there is no way to visually share both the physical and emotional scope of the destruction.  Over the course of the ride we met with emergency responders, environmental researchers, government officials, grassroots non-profits, individuals who lost homes and businesses, and everyday heroes. They spoke to us about their inability to get any compensation from insurance, the difficulty in simply clearing land, and numerous setbacks in rebuilding.    After hours spent listening to their stories over hot gumbo or sweet blueberry cobbler, we were compelled to ask same question time and time again.  "What can we do to help?"  We inevitably heard the same response.  "You're already doing it."  Keep on riding, sharing, and encouraging others to do the same. In New Orleans, we met with the CEO of the YMCA who was impressed with, and immensely grateful for, our efforts.  It was empowering to see, firsthand, where the money we raised will be going, and how NEEDED it still is.  However, our simple presence had just as much of an impact as the dollars we donated.  Just by showing up, we affected both our own lives and the lives of those around us.   These are the volunteers who joined us, saw, listened, learned, and involved themselves in something greater. Our many thanks to them, to those we met along the way, and to all the individuals and organizations making a difference in hurricane rebuilding in their own way.

How Can YOU Help?

Many people have asked us, "How can I help?", so we have decided to answer that question in this section of the newsletter EVERY month.  If you can help in any of these areas, email us at: teamleader@pepyride.org .  Many thanks! Do you have a laptop computer you would like to donate to PEPY for use by PEPY staff in Cambodia or at The PEPY Ride School? Have you met anyone who has or is working/living in East Timor?  Put us in touch with them, please! Do you have connections to any bike companies that would be interested in supporting PEPY? If you would like to donate in support of our educational projects in Cambodia, please visit www.firstgiving.com/pepyride   How Can YOU Help in Louisiana? Do you want to join a team of PEPY volunteers heading to Louisiana to help clear land so that residents can rebuild?  Contact ymcaride@pepyride.org for more information.

 

Congratulations Judy Run 2006!

Fantastic Weather        Team Bonding        New Friends        Natural Highs        Genuine Smiles Internationalization        Community Spirit        PEPY Love        Challenge        Success        Pride "A dream come true, sums it all up."  2006 Judy Run Cup Recipient, Annie Leuenberger On May 27th, 100 people gathered in Izu, Shizuoka to join the second annual fun run for PEPY!  ALTs from nine prefectures cheered and ran with (tried to keep up with?!) a youth baseball and track & field team and other locals.  Everyone was slapping high-fives and waving to each other and the SBS camera crew.  Positive energy radiated from 100 smiling faces, shouting with one voice, "I'm so happy to be here!"  For the Judy Run entrance "fee,"  ALT Runners challenged themselves to collect donations in their schools and neighborhoods.  Their goal was to spread awareness for PEPY as well as introduce the idea of "fun running."  With generous support from the newly inspired Japanese community, Judy Run 2006 participants are proud to share their history-making fundraising accomplishment of 850,000 YEN ($7,500 US) FOR PEPY!!! A recent 4-minute spotlight on Shizuoka's evening TV news has helped the Judy Run gain attention as an opportunity for international friends in Japan to get moving and make positive community contributions.  Japanese and foreign participants alike are already looking forward to their next opportunity to become active volunteers and run for PEPY! Volunteering can be easy AND fun??  YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!!! Special thanks to Greg Anderson, volunteers & translators, fabulous logo designer Maria Antonia Perez, t-shirt mule Rachel Allen, Tomomi Takekawa & the SBS News team, Kawashima Coffee Mishima, Bronco Billy's Steakhouse, Nakamura Salon, Horikawa Sports Chiba, Mika Sakurai, Daniela "YES! We can make t-shirts!" Papi for inspiring this to happen in the first place...and Judy for MAKING IT HAPPEN!!!

Pass GO and Collect $2,000 for PEPY

The TokyOpoly Charity Scavenger Hunt, held on June 3rd in Tokyo, was another EXCITING success for The PEPY Ride.  Sixty-seven people scavenged the streets of Tokyo figuring out different witty clues and conquering crazy challenges found on a Tokyo style Monopoly board.  All teams earned PEPY bucks and houses for each clue and challenge they finished.  Then they had to risk their luck and use their money and houses to buy and create hotels on the various unknown "lucky" sponsor properties.  The monopolizing ended with incredible donated prizes at Havana Cafe from our wonderful hunt sponsors.  The hunters partied the night away at ALIFE in Roppongi who donated 50% of all entrants charges to TokyOpoly.  The entire event raised over $2000 for The PEPY Ride.  Visit www.tokyoscavengerhunt.com for more info or www.pepyride.org/gallery for photos.    Unfortunately, the SUPER FUN Tokyo Charity Scavenger Hunt can not go on without new huntresses.  The current huntresses (Jamie, Megan, and Michelle) and our sponsorship gal (Kate) will all be leaving Japan and are looking for creative newbies to take on the excitement of planning the next hunt.  If you are interested, or know someone who is, please email tokyoscavengerhunt@gmail.com. Let the hunting continue!!!

 

Protect the Earth, Protect Yourself

In an attempt to keep our readers, and ourselves, informed on current world environmental and health issues, we are introducing a series of articles appropriately titled, "Protect the Earth, Protect Yourself."  Join PEPY here every month as we learn more about WHY our work is necessary, and use that knowledge to grow as an organization.   *Protecting Costal Wetlands   During the Hurricane Relief Ride we had an eye-opening meeting with Heidi Hitter of CWPPRA (Coastal Wetlands Protection and Planning Act).  Heidi surprised all of us when she shared that the nature of each hurricane, it's strength and size, are not the only factors to consider when monitoring hurricane impact and preparing for future storms.  We often assume that the stronger nature of recent hurricanes is the sole reason we've seen increased devastation.  This is not the case.  The increasingly destructive impact of hurricanes is largely due to the loss of wetlands which provide a protective barrier from storms.  The wetlands of Louisiana are disappearing at an alarming rate, equal to the area of a football field every 38 minutes!  If the current rate of loss continues, Louisiana will lose an additional 800,000 acres of wetlands by the year 2040, which would mean that the shoreline could advance inland as much as 33 miles in some areas.  Studies suggest that every 2.7 miles of healthy wetlands drops the storm surge by 1 foot VERTICALLY.  Considering that we could lose 33 miles of wetlands in the next 30 years this means that storm surges could increase dramatically without wetland protection, creating storms significantly more destructive than Rita or Katrina.  In many areas, the damage from Rita in particular was solely due to the storm surge, as waters flooded inland after the storm subsided.  In addition, wetlands protect levees from the erosive effects of waves by reducing their height and intensity. The good news is that, while we have destroyed acres of wetlands in the recent past, they can be rebuilt with sufficient funding and support.  Barrier islands, which are the first line of defense, can be reinforced and even reconstructed, protecting the wetlands and the coast.  Some techniques can even make significant impact in as little as weeks!  While the government has been hesitant to allocate enough funding for these preventative projects, the rebuilding of coastal wetlands is more important now than ever before.  To learn more about these issues, visit http://www.lacoast.gov/ . This article contains information from the March 2006 edition of Watermarks, available at http://www.lacoast.gov/watermarks/2006-03/watermarks-2006-03.pdf

 

Featured Sponsor: Clif Bar

PEPY sends a HUGE thank you to Clif Bar, who generously donated 120 Clif Bars and 100 Clif shots to The PEPY Hurricane Relief Ride.    Because of Clif, we had enough whole grain, organic energy to sustain us for the near 400 miles we peddled across Louisiana.  Clif Bars are great-tasting, healthy, energy bars that provide nutrition for sustained energy.  Available in 13 flavors (we've tried them all!), all Clif Bars are certified organic, using 70 percent organic ingredients.  Clif Bars are baked with whole grains, fruit and other all-natural ingredients like creamy soy nuggets, almond chunks and chocolate chips.  Clif Bars don't contain fillers, highly processed sugars, hydrogenated oils or animal products, and they are sourced with non-wheat and non-dairy ingredients. Thank you Clif Bar, for keeping our stomachs full, and our spirits high on the PEPY Hurricane Relief Ride!

 

Upcoming PEPY Events

Upcoming PEPY Trips: August 6-13:  CCF Volunteer Trip (Phnom Penh) and August 13-19:  CCF Volunteer Trip (Phnom Penh) The funds raised from these trips will stock The PEPY Ride Medical Center at CCF's new facility.  Volunteers will spend time with the students and construct rainwater collection units in the most deprived areas of Phnom Penh.  Both trips offer extention trips to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat.  SPACES STILL AVAILABLE BUT DEADLINE APPROACHING SOON!  Email Julie at: volunteer@pepyride.org for more info.   November 18-26:  Siem Reap to Phnom Penh Adventure Ride PEPY Tours provide hands-on volunteering opportunities in remote Cambodian communities combined with adventure travel.  This November we will cycle from Siem Reap down to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  Funds raised by participants will support The PEPY Ride School in Siem Reap as well as support our lessons at a rural school in Kompong Channang Province.  Email volunteer@pepyride.org for more information Trip Itinerary: Nov 18th: Meet the team in Siem Reap Nov 19th: Visit the Angkor Temple Complex with students from The PEPY Ride School Nov 20th: Visit The PEPY Ride School and teach interactive lessons to the children Nov 21st: Cycle through the temples of Angkor Nov 22nd: Cycle to the ferry port and boat to Kompong Channang.  Once in KC, cycle through rural pottery villages and an ancient temple complex. (50km) Nov 23rd: Visit a rural school and teach a PEPY lesson. Pedal on to Oudong. (70km) Nov 24th: Visit Oudong Mountain and the temples lining the top.  Ride into Phnom Penh. (45km) Nov 25th: Visit the killing fields and S21 prison and learn more about Cambodia's sordid recent history.  Be inspired by a performance by the children of CCF orphanage. Nov 26th: Departures Late December 2006 (dates to be decided):  The PEPY Ride School Volunteer Trip Email volunteer@pepyride.org for more info.    December 27-January 18:  The 2007 PEPY Ride This 3 week ride follows in the tread marks of the original 2006 PEPY Ride.  Riders will visit local schools and amazing NGOs as they learn, connect and cycle through Cambodia.  Email Judy and Audrey at: cambodia2007@pepyride.org for more info. Japan Events:  June 17-18:  Next Eastern ALT Soccer Tournament (Sugadaira, Nagano) Twice a year, Jon, Andre, Chris, and Phil organize the ALT Soccer Tournaments in both Eastern and Western Japan with an All-Japan Championship held in Saitama`s World Cup Stadium once a year. These events have become a pillar of the English teaching community in Japan with the chance to join in competitive sport and enjoy a huge party with all the other teams!  These events are not to be missed.  And don`t miss their annual Nagano Ski Trips either!  A portion of the sign up fee for these events supports The PEPY Ride School in Cambodia which is yet another reason to join!  Visit www.altsoccertournament.com for more info.   Feel free to start your own PEPY events!  We'd LOVE your support!

The PEPY Ride Sponsors