Over the past 6 years, I have participated in RAGBRAI, the great bicycle ride across Iowa 4 years in a row missing last year. This year, I will be participating again with a slightly different approach. I also add meaning to this ride by helping raise funding for ChildVoice who has used this ride for 14 years to raise well over $100,000. Many of you have supported me in the past and I hope you will do so again this year. Lives in Uganda, South Sudan, and Nigeria have literally been saved and changed because you cared and gave.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to present refugee and internally displaced persons populations in both Uganda and Nigeria with escalating hardships, including hunger, shortages of basic hygiene products, and a lack of access to proper medical care.  Curfews and travel restrictions are being strictly enforced resulting in higher levels of police brutality.  Because of mandatory lockdowns, ChildVoice students have been forced to return home, and life has been increasingly difficult with no end in sight.  The situation is dire.

For the first time since 1973, RAGBRAI was canceled. Disappointed, but not deterred, we decided to ride the 2020 RAGBRAI miles remotely on the roads in the communities in which we live over the course of this next month. So, in New England, Wisconsin, Iowa, and other places across the country, our team members are riding for a purpose. With your help, we can raise money that is desperately needed to combat the effects of this pandemic. As a team, we have set a goal of $21,000 and I am personally committing to raising $4,200 towards this effort. Thanks again for your help.