ST.  JOSEPH'S HOPE COMMUNITY NEWS
Pedaling Upstream Requires Support

The  Hydro-Bikes Mississippi River Trip and St. Joseph's HOPE Community
 

By Deanna Foster
 

In may, St. Joe's was approached by Steve Anderson, who planned to ride a new kind of water bike, a Hydro-Bike, 2400 miles UP the Mississippi from it's delta to it's source in Northern Minnesota. Steve wanted to know if we were interested in becoming the charity that receives the pledges  he and his fellow biker, Ken Rogers, planned to generate on the three  month trip. Steve and Ken had raised $25,000 for Make A Wish Minnesota  back in 1982 by riding "regular" bikes through each of the 48 contiguous states. They had a great time the first time and were anxious for another adventure. Raising money for a favorite charity was of primary importance  to them, so they were at our door (after being turned down by two other  charities, because the logistics for approval and participation were insurmountable). Here at St. Joe's we are used to being flexible, dealing with uncertainty  and taking risks, so it was a perfect match. With St. Joe's and the Hydro-Bike Company to back them up, they set out from the Gulf of Mexico on July 4, 1994. The following is my reflective account of their story and our  story of "pedaling upstream."

My first indication that this was not going to be just another "pledge ride" was when I heard the first 50 miles of river was inhabited by sharks! Steve remained unimpressed by the fact, but I figured if sharks were in  that river down there, it was a very different river from the one we have up here. We joked and passed it off and got on with our meeting at the Hydro-Bike headquarters. The immediacy of the last minute preparations  claimed our attention. It was reminiscent of the times at St. Joe's when  we have focused our energy on necessities of the moment and have missed the enormous consequences inherent in our work.

At St. Joe's we too frenetically prepared ourselves for the pledges, getting a special phone arrangement to handle the volume of calls that we expected when WCCO radio (830 AM) broadcast the story. So far we've gotten only  a handful of calls, plus some welcome fax pledges, for a total as of July 22 of $1,724 ($1,200 of which is from our friend).

Additional information and costs associated can be obtained by contacting WaterStates Trading Company at www.waterstates.com or by email waterstates@comcast.net