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Ditch the Van Tour, a charity raising money for the World Bicycle Relief, is coming to Statesboro this Saturday evening.
The three participants, Blake Jenssen, Aaron Scott and Jon Olek, are currently undertaking a three-month trip to bike the 1,600 miles from Boston, Mass. to Key West, Fla. in order to raise money via donations for World Bicycle Relief.
The money raised will go toward providing bicycles to people living in disastrous areas and developing countries.
Not only are the three biking the East Coast to raise money for the Relief, but they are also mixing in shows for Scott’s band Attica! Attica!. Scott regularly performs throughout the tour alongside other bands.
When Scott heard that Jenssen and Olek were looking for musicians who were interested in biking to come along, he decided to join.
“I used to bike a lot in Oregon, however, I have never done anything like this before, so I decided to challenge myself,” he said.
The group carries two acoustic guitars, which Jenssen pulls in a trailer, along with enough camping equipment and clothing items to last them throughout their trip.
No support vehicles travel with them at all the entire tour, as everything is all carried with the bicyclists.
Each participant spends up to seven hours a day biking and then proceeds to set up and take down campsites at the beginning and end of each day.
The labor, along with the shows during their tour, provides a full day, according to Scott.
“I am used to taking tours in a van, so when we bike everyday, it’s very hectic, but it’s also fun,” he said. “We get to move our bodies instead of sitting, and we get plenty of exercise, which always feels better at night.
“This is the biggest effort I have ever volunteered for. It has been fulfilling, and I learned that we are, recently, the team that gained the most donations total for World Bicycle Relief. It’s pretty amazing that we have had enough interest in order to raise a significant amount of money. We haven’t reached our goal yet, but we have gone over the $2,000 mark and hope to continue to make more,” he said.
Jenssen, the tour organizer, got the idea for this tour after learning about a similar one.
“Michael Park, who runs Asian Man Records, did a similar tour on the West Coast, and he had a great experience,” he said. “So I decided to do one on the East Coast since it has a bigger population. We can, therefore, do more shows, raise more money and have a greater effect.”
Jenssen, along with Olek, decided to organize his own tour and asked Scott to come along and perform his shows. He coordinated with the World Bicycle Relief to make sure all the money went to them.
“Blake and I have been friends for a long time, and we had been talking about doing a bike tour for a number of years,” Olek said. “We have had a lot of fun and a positive experience. We have met many people along the way who were nice and very impressed with what we were doing.”
According to Jenssen, World Bicycle Relief has done several things in the past to make sure people around the world have bicycles as a means of transportation.
During the aftermath of the 2003 tsunami in Zambia, the roads were destroyed, and people needed to carry supplies and water to distant villages. World Bicycle Relief provided the bicycles that made this possible.
They have also provided them to students who have a long commute to their schools and medical workers who are trying to provide proper care to AIDS patients in distant villages.
World Bicycle Relief also trains certain people in these countries so they can provide mechanical services to the bicycles and shows them how to run a program that can keep operating once they are finished. According to Jenssen, the Relief wants them to keep operating so that they will have a future career in bicycle mechanics.
Jenssen said that World Bicycle Relief often partners with other companies. Trek Bicycle Company provides employees to answer any questions that people may have, whereas Quality Bicycle Shop encourages people to donate bikes to their shop for the Relief.
All donations to World Bicycle Relief are tax deductible, as it is a non-profit organization.
“World Bicycle Relief is a great resource for people to organize rides and do events to raise money,” Jenssen said. “Sometimes people do bicycle races and pledge money throughout their event.”
Jenssen, Scott and Olek will be staying at the Spring Hill Suites Saturday night. Currently, no show is planned for that night, but according to Scott, Attica! Attica! is willing to perform if there is enough interest.
“The shows have been going really well. I have been going along the route of playing underground and folk music with other full bands. It has been great because I don’t need a full PA system, and I can just play anywhere,” Scott said.
Visit their blog at Ditchthevan.blogspot.com for constant updates on the bicyclists and to check on the tour’s progress.
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