THE LONG HAUL

Venture Expeditions powers the 2009 Ride:Well Tour . Connect with a Venture staffer at (952) 886-7688 or email info@ridwelltour.org.

All roads lead to Rome (or Washington D.C.)

With fondness and

gratitude, we remember

the 2008 Ride:Well Tour, a

3125-mile cross-country cyclotour that raised

$201,000 for Blood:Water

Mission, including over

$80,000 from one benefit

concert in Tyler, Texas.

Getting a team of

bicyclists safely across 3,125 miles of public roads

is no small task, and we’ve

been encouraged by the

hospitality of ordinary

people everywhere.

People across the United States helped us raise

$201,000 for B:WM. This

great sum goes a long

way in a continent where

$1 provides clean water

for one person for one

year.

What a great way to

provide simple and vital

help to our African

brothers and sisters!

By visiting cities from surf

country in Santa Monica

to the nation’s Capitol, we generated awareness and

donations to help our African

friends with sustainable clean

blood and water initiatives.

Since 2004, Blood:Water

Mission has funded more

than 617 water projects in sub-Saharan Africa.

Blood:Water Mission also

exists to fight the continent-

crippling AIDS pandemic.

ABC News recently

featured two Kenyan brothers who helped build

in Lwala, Kenya a clinic

funded in part by B:WM.

–R:WT

In this issue:

The cross-country cycle

tour that’s changing how

adventurers go about

mission|Composed of

words and pictures and

delivered with hope|Real

stories of real people who

are bothered by injustice

and passionate about

change.

Individual Highlights

Donald Miller’s Blog 2

Wrestling with recession 3

Why Ride:Well? 4

Training for R:WT 5

Community events 6

Stories from the team 7

Blood:Water Mission 8

Venture Expeditions 9

Ride:Well “the second” go for launch

Reflections from a summer in the saddle

A mobile & mobilized community of compassion and hope

The newsletter of the

2nd annual Ride:Well Tour

2 TYPE TITLE HERE

A Ride:Well Network blog

by Gregg Mwendwa

05.19.09 // ridewelltour.org

Last year, I had the great

opportunity to travel from

Kenya through London to Chicago and finally landed

in Nashville, with an

intention of proceeding to

California for the RWT.

We had all sorts of fun, from

the Ride:Well band, and

Ride:Well show... everything. For me, it was a

great opportunity to see

the USA by bike, traversing

over 10 states meeting all

sorts of people.

Within that fun, I learnt a lot. I discovered my real

passion and the soul. I

admit it was not easy at all,

being in a foreign country,

new culture everyday,

food, new roads and

sunscreen. I remember the

times I had to jump into the support van and save

myself from the sun. By the

end of the ride, I was

blacker that coal, having attracted all sorts of heat

and light.

Everything looked bigger

than life, the apples, the

prawns and chicken

breasts. I blogged like I

never did in my life. Funny, eccentric, unresolved and

at times, contentious.

However, sharing my story

with the fellow bikers and

taking time to listen to what

America feels about Africa

brought within me new

passion to love and serve mankind.

I came back to start JIJUE 1

Million campaign

(www.jijue.org), a shared

vision to systematically

efforts to make a tangible contribution towards

preventing further HIV

infections among Kenyan

youth, by ensuring 1 Million

Kenyan youth take a HIV

test and safeguard

themselves from infection.

In partnership with

Blood:Water Mission, we

have so far seen over

14,800 youth take the HIV

test and join the grassroots

movement of preventing further HIV infections.

Moving out of town, I am

now based at Kajiado,

expanding the HIV

prevention agenda to mist

at risk, under-served and hard to reach populations

in the Rift valley province,

which forms home to half of

all HIV infections in Kenya.

This is a hardship area, with

kids still not going to school

to herd cattle. It has a

proven a hassle, but we are getting somewhere slowly

and surely!

I am excited that you got

the opportunity to ride

across America, for the 15

of us who did it last year,

ours are now changed lives. I will follow your story!

‘08 cyclist returns to start JIJUE 1 Million

Gregg Mwendwa is a Kenyan determined to heal his country through the JIJUE

1 Million campaign. To date, over 17,000 youth have been tested for HIV. The

story of JIJUE reminds us that no one NGO or nonprofit can successfully defeat

AIDS/HIV in Africa. That’s why we’re telling the story of JIJUE in a newsletter

devoted to Ride:Well for Blood:Water! Thanks JIJUE for your message!

3

What a dollar can buy in today’s world

Homeless community donates $2000

As recession-conscious

marketers from Seattle to

Singapore chant the

mantra of value-based

offerings, Ride:Well

“changeth not”.

From, the beginning, the

Ride:Well Tour and our

cause, Blood:Water Mission,

have always presented a

great use for a dollar.

Our “value” is simple. A

dollar donated to

Blood:Water Mission

through the Ride:Well Tour

provides clean water for

one African for one year.

Since its conception,

Blood:Water’s 1000 Wells

project has built 617 wells in

communities across sub-

Saharan Africa.

Wells give Africans the gift

of clean water to protect

them from life-threatening

illnesses. Women and

children will no longer walk

up to 10 miles a day to get

water. People with HIV will

live stronger, longer lives.

Communities will flourish

and be changed.

Inherent to Ride:Well and

Blood:Water’s Mission is the

value not only of dollars but

of people themselves.

We believe that many little

actions will someday spell

big change, but we know

we can’t do it alone.

That’s why we ride. –RW:T

The R:WT brings new life to

the idea that someone

always has it worse than

you.

During a daily Bible study at

Newgate Homeless Mission

in Longview, Tex.,

Restoration Director Joel

Heflin, who donates to

B:WM, shared the story of

how many people in the

world still lack access to

clean water.

The homeless realized that

there were people in the

world more unfortunate

than them. One woman

suggested that every day

at mealtime they collect

change for the cause.

Less than a year later,

Newgate Mission had

raised over $2000 for the

Blood:Water! –R:WT

We do not live in denial

about the dire state of the

U.S. economy, but we

believe the spirit of

Ride:Well will again capture

the hearts and

imaginations of the

American people.

Last year’s Ride:Well Tour

was a beautifully-lucid

journey. Our trek showed

us that ordinary people

always have something to

give.

Already, our newest crop of

riders is excited to begin

raising support and

awareness. Already,

friends and family are

requesting ways to give.

Ride:Well asks each rider to

raise $3895, with an

additional donation of

$1000 for Blood:Water

Mission.

In addition to enlisting the

support of friends and

family, many riders

received spur-of-the-

moment donations from

people along the route.

“Nearly every member of

the team has been

handed a twenty-dollar bill

as soon as we explained

what we were doing, ”

writes Donald Miller via his

blog.

-R:WT

"My church is continuing to

host and raise support for

Ride:Well because it is

making a difference in our

community. When we

give despite the needs we

may have, and when we

realize that there are

greater needs other than

our own, we become part

of a larger community of

faith... that helps make us

whole. "- Paul Hurckman,

Oak Hills Church. Ride:Well

2009 RW:T Tour Stop #22—

When recession grips, RW:T rides on

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Why would anyone ride across the United States?

It’s a question worth asking. Why R:WT?

The RW:T cyclist is a socially-minded endurance athlete

with the ability to communicate his or her passion to

others. Our riders have in common two desires: a

longing to live life fully and a desire to benefit others.

As “adventure sports” like triathlons and ultramarathons

continue to gain popularity nationwide, Ride:Well offers

adventure with a purpose. It’s more than “killing two

birds with one stone” – it’s a holistic integration of

worldview and passion.

If one thing is true, riding for R:WT requires a bit of old-

fashioned courage. Riders must be fit enough to

endure an all-weather trek through demanding terrain

in desert, mountain and urban landscapes. Riding long

hours on paved roads can take a real toll on the

human body.

As well, riders must raise $3895 to finance their trip, with

an additional $1000 given to B:WM. Joining R:WT

involves an interview, but getting to California requires

fundraising, training and planning.

The great demands of the R:WT require the cyclist to

wear several hats: grassroots activist, marketer and

organizer.

A different breed

Through the successes of (red) and other socially-

conscious initiatives, consumers have opened to the

idea of “activism through consumption.”

We also see in our riders the evidence of a generation

who grew up watching “Forrest Gump”. Besides the

obvious connection between R:WT and Forrest’s cross

country tours, something else is at play.

The “Forrest” generation could be seen as a group of

young people who gauge their wealth not only on their

401K or their standard of living but on their experiences,

relationships and personal happiness.

It’s the kind of idealism that often annoys their Boomer

parents, but marketers understand that allowing this

ethos to penetrate a brand can release the pent-up

energy of the most socially-conscious generation in

history.

Yet, as the Internet becomes overrun with people

asking for time, money and attention, even the well-

meaning citizen must begin to tune out messages that

“don’t matter.”

It’s a skepticism determined not by any apathy or

perceived uncaring but by the simple economy of

time. Thus, the R:WT cyclist must know how to

communicate quickly and effectively their vision for the

Summer tour.

Sharing the story, one person at a time

We asked our participants to describe the tour in one

word, and responses ranged from “Love” to

“Ridiculous” and “Crazy” and even the made up word

“Intenselyworthwhile”.

In the early days, perception is everything. In order to

galvanize the elements, the R:WT operates an online

Network of riders, supporters and staffers

Riders are encouraged to blog about their training,

fundraising and social media efforts.

The goal is connectivity and support for the team.

Many of our riders have ties to other grassroots

organizations. Already literate in movements and

causes, they learn the “selling points” of Blood:Water

Mission and begin to glean the passion of those “who

went before.”

Then, they become “brand evangelists” of sorts as they

share their passion with their friends and family. Support

letters solicit donations from altruistic friends and

acquaintances, but the Internet also opens their

“personal brand” to the knowing eyes of their peers.

If one thing we know: people do not give to causes or

other people—they give to vision. As the R:WT pedals

to raise social and monetary capital for Blood:Water

Mission, the vision goes forward in hops, skips and

bounds.

We don’t have a spin or a schtick. We have a bunch

of cool stories that combine to make a big story we call

the Ride:Well Tour. Like Lance, we truly go beyond the

bike, to life, hope and sacrifice for a worthy cause.

–R:WT

5

Amateur hall of famers

Stationary bike= devotion

Rider training diary

Brady Miles, Waxahachie,

Texas, April 15, 2009.

“I found a bike group, and

we ride about 30-35 miles on Saturday morning. It’s

an awesome ride. It’s great

to meet up with people

and have a pack of riders

breaking the insane wind

we get down here. I am

the youngest of about 15

riders that range from 23 to

about 60.

It’s incredible how cycling

is such an equalizer among

ages and genders. You

would never see a 60 year

old be competitive in a

basketball or football

game.

I love/hate how some days

you can just fly on the bike and you feel so good and

then other days its so

incredibly painful you just

want the ride to be over

with. Rest, nutrition,

hydration, and sleep probably all play a role in

good rides and bad rides.

So I guess I shouldn’t be too

surprised when I was in pain

the whole time trying to

play catch up with the

riders all morning. –Brady Miles, math teacher and R:WT cyclist

Bicycles and summer are

seemingly inseparable, and

so the converse holds true

as well. Often, bikes and

winter would rather not be.

And so, while winter raged,

many of our riders

retreated to the safety of

gyms and workout facilities

to get in shape.

Lisa Ralph, who found in

the gym a refuge from feet

of Maine snow, joked at all

the “fake” miles she was

racking up.

In fact, anyone north of the

Mason Dixon line who plans

to ride with us this summer

will have to do some

training indoors.

We save the best for last.

Last year, a UK-based R:WT

fan biked over 2000 miles

on a stationary bike, in

support of the ’08 team.

Now, that’s dedication!

–R:WT

To be frank, skill levels vary

greatly among our riders.

Graduate student and

nutrition specialist Brian

Elliott was one of the last

additions to the team.

We’ve pardoned his delay

in finding us, since the

superfit Texan has been

grinding out a marathon a

month since last

December.

In April, he’ll be in Boston

for the historic footrace. In

June, he’ll be on a bike,

with us.

Yet, Brian definitely

represents the fitter side of

the team dynamic.

“R:WT is not a race,” says

tour organizer Aaron Smith.

“We’re more geared

towards endurance.”

In fact, some riders are

spending their first hours on

a road bike this summer.

In light of this fact, we often

joke that completion of

Ride:Well is a shoo-in for the

Amateur Cyclist Hall of

Fame! –R:WT

Union University student and R:WT cyclist Bethany Stallings is

new to the sport. Here she takes a break from a spring

training ride to pose for a pic with her new friend for the

summer, a Fuji Newest cycle she named “Suki”, just for fun.

6 TYPE TITLE HERE

R:WT events plan to inspire, educate

This summer, Ride:Well

Events are bringing together the collective

energy and passion of the

highly-activated supporters

of Blood:Water Mission and

the Ride:Well Tour.

We’re excited to present

large, community-wide gatherings in Phoenix,

Arizona; Dallas, Texas; and

Baltimore, Maryland. Read

our story, tell your friends,

collect donations,

participate in the event,

meet the team, and leave

with the awesome feeling of knowing you have made

a very positive and

tangible difference in the

world.

Of course, we’ll kick out

some super cool Ride:Well brand swag for our faithful

fundraisers. Let’s see

something amazing this

Summer. One day, one

message – HOPE.

♫ PHOENIX, AZ-

Blood:Water | Sara Groves

Benefit Concert (6.21.09)

It’s hard not to like Sara

Groves. When you

consider her thoughtful

blend of faith and artistry, her years of faithful service

and her down-to-earth

approach to songwriting

(and life), you get the

feeling Sara is a person you

can learn a few things

from.

Join us on June 21 for a

night of music, vision, and

compassion for

Blood:Water and our friends

in Africa, presented by

Desert Springs Church and

the Ride:Well Tour.

DALLAS, TX- | the Cow Creek Country Classic

(6.27.09)

For Ride:Well Tour

supporters of all skill levels,

the Cow Creek Country

Classic is the perfect way

to share the message of

Blood:Water with your friends, family and

neighbors, while still getting

a healthy dose of pulse

raising cycling. Like any

good one-day “classic”

race, the Cow Creek offers

several options of distance

and pace. Whether you’re a diehard roadie waiting to

eat up some pavement or

a casual cyclist who just

wants to enjoy a good ride,

we hope you’ll join us in

Waxahachie! If you sign up

with Ride:Well, you’ll get

one of our exclusive t-shirts.

DALLAS, TX- | the

Oaks Fellowship Water

Walk (7.xx.09)

Every day, thousands of

sub-Saharan Africans must hike several miles just for a

drink of water.

In the United States, a

modernized country with

almost ubiquitous access to

clean drinking water, we

find it hard to connect with the plight of our African

brothers and sisters. A

water walk will change

your perspectives about

daily life in Africa.

Plus, it’s a great way to

share the mission of Blood:Water with friends,

family and neighbors.

Come walk for water with

the good folks from Red

Oaks!

♫ Dallas, TX- Blood:Water

| Jars of Clay Benefit

Concert (7.xx.09)

It’s no secret the Grammy-

winning rock ensemble Jars of Clay founded

Blood:Water Mission, but it’s

not publicized, either. Jars

have always kept the focus

where it should be—on our

African brothers and sisters.

Empowering sub-Saharan

communities to construct wells, latrines and clinics—

the three pronged-attack

against AIDS/HIV in Africa—

has always been

Blood:Water’s mission.

Join us on July xx for a night

of vision and compassion for Blood:Water and our

friends in Africa, presented

by Red Oaks Church and

the Ride:Well Tour.

“We have never been

more pleased to be a part

of an event more than the

B:WM Ride:Well night…

The most satisfying night in

our 10 year career.” –Troy

Groves, husband of

recording artist Sara

Groves

Author Donald Miller at the ‘08 Tyler, Tex., event.

7

Ride:Well Tour fosters deep friendships

Grassroots org. always dreams bigger

Serendipity often blesses the “nitty-gritty”

As a grassroots nonprofit

with big dreams, positive

word-of-mouth referrals

comprise the majority of

our connections.

Like most small nonprofits,

we also rely on social

media to overcome an

almost microscopic

advertising budget.

Others come to us through

Donald Miller, a bestselling

Christian author who rode

with us last year. Donald

has considerable influence

with young people who

want a hands-on approach

to their faith.

Many more know Ride:Well

as one of the major

projects of Blood:Water

Mission (BW:M). We like

working with BW:M.

Some athletes know the

R:WT because they have

taken part in trips for

organizers behind R:WT.

We hope our 2009 press kit

will capture the interest of

beat journalists and editors

versed in the efficacy of

new social movements.

Nashville native and Union

University senior Erin Morris is

passionate about R:WT!

Here’s an excerpt from her

Network blog:

“This past weekend, I went

home for Easter and had a

yard sale Saturday

morning. Lots of my sweet

friends donated things to

help for the sale. It was a

pretty cold day, but the

turnout was amazing!

We couldn't have asked for

a better group! Anyway, I

think the total money raised

was just under $1,000! Also,

there was a surprise! My

stepdad found a random

book he'd never seen

before (we can't figure out

where it came from)...he

quickly flipped through it,

and there tucked in

between the pages was a

hundred dollar bill! Crazy.”

http://www.ridewelltour.org

.

Through emails and phone

calls, we’ve had the

pleasure of getting to know

our 2009 team, who will

convene for the first time in

Santa Monica, Calif. There,

they’ll begin the “ride of

their lives”.

If the overwhelmingly

positive experience of last

year’s team is any indicator

of the 2009 cyclists’

potential, the 15 cyclists

and three leaders behind

the R:WT should be in for an

unforgettable summer.

Many members of the 2008

Team found the ’08 Tour to

be a “life forming”

experience.

As the new batch of riders

seeks to grapple with the

immense demands of the

Tour, last year’s team is

offering advice on

everything from bike

selection to nutrition and

training programs.

Call it “in-flight intimacy.”

Call it camaraderie. Call it

crazy. We call it

community, and the

American road has always

brought people together.

All the great sacrifices

considered, to be a

Ride:Well alum is to be a

friend for life.

“There are only a couple

times that I can recall

seeing rapid growth

happen in my life, and I

know without a doubt this

will be another one of

those times. I couldn't be

more excited."

–Lisa Rudzik, 2009 cyclist

and elementary school

teacher for special needs

children

Erin poses with her

cherished (and pretty

cute) nephew, Jack.

8 TYPE TITLE HERE

Why we pedal: the Blood:Water story

Director of Africa Programs writes home

Lwala clinic featured in documentary

Blood:Water Mission is a

grassroots organization that

empowers communities to

work together against the

AIDS and water crises in

Africa.

Blood:Water Mission exists

to promote clean blood

and clean water efforts in

Africa, tangibly reducing

the impact of the HIV/AIDS

pandemic while addressing

the underlying issues of

poverty, injustice and

oppression. Blood:Water

Mission is building clean

water wells, supporting

medical facilities, and

focusing on community

and worldview

transformation, both here in

America and in Africa.

We recognize that numbers

and statistics are hard to

grasp, and that sometimes

a step back is necessary to

conceptualize the enormity

of the HIV/AIDS crisis. Yet

we also know that simply

standing from a distance

with arms thrown in the air is

not a solution. We believe

in pressing inward, in

building relationships and

bridges with communities in

Africa. We believe in

hearing personal stories

and walking alongside

brothers and sisters who

have demonstrated

strength and faith in the

midst of desperate and

tragic situations.

We hold fast to the

conviction that we are all

The work of a news

producer who quit his job

to start filming, the award-

winning film ‘Sons of Lwala’

tells the tale of two Kenyan

medical school students,

Milton and Fred Ochieng,

and their struggle to help

their village build a clinic.

After HIV/AIDS claimed the

lives of the Ochiengs’

parents, the brothers

continued in their parents

mission to help raise $90,000

to build a medical clinic, a

vital provider in a

community isolated from

medical care.

The clinic in Lwala is one

example of how

Blood:Water Mission is

partnering with Africans to

work together to address

AIDS in their own

communities.

Blood:Water is combating

AIDS not only through

clean water and sanitation

projects, but also by

Letter from B:WM Director

of Africa Programs, Barak

Bruerd:

“I am traveling again... I wish

I could package Africa and

send it to you in a box; a

taste of chai, the scent of

markets, and the chill of early

morning breezes in the

village. Worlds apart, it's

easy to forget the urgency of

a continent that is filled with

the stories of life existing on

the threadbare strands of

survival

Yet woven within these

frayed strands is a fiber of

hope that is manifest in the

vibrancy of laughing smiles

and the calluses of strong

hands that labor towards the

restoration of an unseen

promised land. We have the

great privilege of laboring

alongside these kindred

spirits whose humanity is as

frail as our own; to weave

the fibers of our own story,

weak for weak and strong for

strong, into a fabric that can

shelter against the tempest

of an uncertain future.”

"We shall not finally defeat

AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria,

or any of the other

infectious diseases that

plague the developing

world until we have also

won the battle for safe

drinking water, sanitation

and basic health care." ~

Kofi Annan, former United

Nations Secretary-

General

directly funding health clinics,

late-stage AIDS hospices,

community health workers,

and support groups, which

help in the prevention,

treatment, care and support of

communities affected by AIDS.

9

Venture Expeditions powers the R:WT

Venture = adventure + compassion

Venture Expeditions uses

intense physical

challenges, like biking

across countries or climbing

mountains, to raise

awareness and funds that

benefit hurting and

hopeless people.

We endeavor to spend our

greatest energies on the

world’s greatest crises. Our

priority is to recognize and

meet the humanitarian,

social and spiritual needs of

suffering people. Our focus

is on providing service and

monetary assistance to

faith-based organizations

that help orphans and the

diseased, along with

victims of injustice and

disaster.

Minneapolis-based Venture

Expeditions organizes and

operates the Ride:Well Tour.

In 2002, three acquaintances

from North Central University

determined to do something

big. Though none of them

owned a bike or knew the

first thing about fundraising,

they planned to raise $10,000

for a church plant in

Argentina—by cycling.

“We just knew we were

supposed to ride across the

country,” says Ride:Well Tour

Director Aaron Smith

The team purchased bikes

and gear on the drive out to

the Pacific coast, where they

started the cross-country trip.

As the guys loaded up their

bikes and left their starting

place, they received a call.

“Someone donated $10,000!”

said the voice on the other

end.

The guys started calling

themselves Venture, and a

movement was born.

The Ride:Well Tour is

powered by:

Venture Expeditions

511 E. Travelers Trail

Burnsville, MN 55337

Phone

(952) 866-7688

Fax

1.800.599.2933

E-mail

info@ridewelltour.org

“Benefit the world.

Discover your soul.”

PRESIDENT BARACK H. OBAMA

1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVE NW

WASHINGTON, DC 2500

VENTURE EXPEDITIONS

511 E. Travelers Trail

Burnsville, MN 55337

We’re on the Web!

See us at:

http://ridewelltour.org