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Pedal power
MacKay, Mary
Sheri Chislett is
willing to go the distance when it comes to helping strangers on the other side
of the world.
Starting on the Friday leading into the
Victoria Day weekend in May, this
"I was out twice on the weekend - not the
most successful training I have ever done," laughs Chislett,
whose posterior hasn't graced a bicycle seat since Diana Ross's Ain't No Mountain High Enough was number one on the hit
parade.
Chislett, who is on the Tip to Tip for Africa organizing committee,
may be thinking Ain't No Island Flat Enough right now
but that hasn't dented her determination.
"I keep
saying I'm going to be ready. I think we have about five or six full weeks and
if the weather co-operates I really plan on getting out there a minimum of
three times a week, more if I can."
The second
cyclist to sign up, Chislett was beaten to the front
of the registration line by Martha Deacon, the go-getter behind the Tip
to Tip for Africa fundraiser for the Townships Project. Co-founded in December 1998
by Deacon and Rev. Lulama Ntshingwa
of the Eastern Cape Provincial Council of Churches, the Townships Project makes
small loans to very poor people in
To date, the
project has made more than 1,100 loans starting at $120 Canadian and assisted
more than 3,500 people, mostly women, out of poverty.
"One of
the things we're most terrified of is we don't know what to do, we look at
"We're
also terrified because it's very frightening to be a 'have-it' and confront a
'have-not.' How do you talk? Where's the common link? The common link we found,
when we brought the two sides together, was they could look eye to eye because
one knows from our side we're glad we're there and helping and we're pleased
with ourselves. From their side, they're pleased with what they're able to do
and they're pleased to be able to tell their story."
Sibyl Cutcliffe of Charlottetown experienced one of those
eye-to-eye meetings in 2000 after being drawn in by Deacon's overwhelming
enthusiasm for The Townships Project. While in
"One lady
had a little shop at the back of her house . . . ," says Cutcliffe. "There was very little on the shelves, but
she was using her money to buy and sell in this poor neighbourhood
and according to what we heard from her was doing reasonably well. She was
maintaining her home, maintaining her kids and able to send them off to
school."
Cutcliffe, who still maintains a long distance friendship with
township resident Maggie Ntsuntsu, who hosted her for
one night, says
"It's
because there's that personal contact. They know that with Martha the money is
going to the project . . . It's the personal thing about it."
The Tip
to Tip for Africa began with Deacon's dual desire to raise money for this
worthwhile charity and do something to promote the Confederation Trail which
her father, the late Donald Deacon, strongly supported.
"It was
my father's dream that this would be an economic engine for tourism in P.E.I.
and would really be a great thing for the
Organizing the
Tip to Tip for Africa's four-day ride from
First up was a
framework of accommodations. Once the Rodd Mill River
Resort in
"The time
of year is near perfect. It's a way of addressing the opening of our tourist
season so that most of the accommodations are vacant, but they're looking to
get some promotion for the coming year," says Gordon MacQueen,
owner of MacQueen's Bike Shop, one of several local
companies, including Prince Edward Tours and Outside Expeditions, that has
offered vans and bicycle trailers to help transport the cyclists to and from
their start and end points.
During the
off-cycling time there will also be lots of local entertainment.
"There
are 10 meals involved and then a snack, morning and evening," says Deacon.
"It's a huge undertaking. We've tried to involve the community all the way
along."
For example,
the Tignish Boys and Girls Club is
hosting a lunch. There is a Lions Club breakfast in O'Leary and an Evangeline
District Community Acadian luncheon feast in
"In all
of these instances we're not asking them to provide anything for free,"
she adds. "We're actually giving the organization a cheque,
not as large as we'd like . . . . But I've been able to find generous individuals
who have said, 'Yes, I'll sponsor a lunch or dinner. Maritime Electric is
coming in (with) some meal sponsorship and we're making it work one way or
another."
One unusual
pit stop option on Sunday's schedule is the Blessing of the Bikes service at Trinity
United church in
"What I
want to do is really lift up the Townships Project and
recognize the people who have been cycling the province to raise money to help
people in
"So we
want to add our blessing to the endeavours of all of
the people who are taking part, give thanks for what people have done and that
the people of
Members of the
P.E.I. division of the Canadian Ski Patrol will be a constant presence
throughout the ride. Perhaps best known for their work at Brookvale
Provincial Ski Park in both the alpine and nordic ski
sections, this group of active volunteers also appears at non-ski,
sports-oriented events such as Cycle P.E.I., the P.E.I. Women's Institute
Legacy Bike tours, Bridgefest and Red Cross Relays.
"We
probably put more hours of volunteer time in during the summertime than we do
in the winter and that's because we like doing those things that are becoming
the norm," says Ron Hately, assistant patrol
leader nordic for P.E.I.
division.
For the Tip
to Tip for Africa, a minimum of four of the patrol's 28 members will be on the
trail on a rotating basis.
"Our main
duty, of course, is to provide first aid services, so rescue or transport if we
have to, getting people who are hurt off the trail," Hately
says.
"The
secondary duty for this event is to act as shepherds or escorts. So we'll have
a ski patroller at the front of the pack, one at the back of the pack and a
couple roving in the middle to basically keep an eye on people, make sure
they're keeping pace and the people in the back don't feel like they're being
left behind and the people in the front are not zipping along and doing things
in two hours rather than six or eight."
Members of the
newly chartered Rotaract, a subsidiary of rotary for
members ages 18 to 30, have been exceptionally busy writing letters to
community groups and business across the
The three main
goals of Rotaract are leadership development,
professional development and community service focusing on one international
and one local project a year.
"This
bike ride actually takes into account all three of those so it's perfect for
our group," says Rotaract president Lori Saciragic, one of members who will be riding the trail this
May.
The group is
also compiling registration kits which include an interesting signal that is
beyond essential in some cases.
"It's a
bathroom flag, which is a little triangle. I wanted there to be a 'P' on it but
nobody liked my idea," jokes Saciragic.
"We will
be giving out to the participants before they start off. So when people go
through the community and they have their little flag raised, we're encouraging
people to say, 'Oh you need to use the washroom, come into my house.' So that's
kind of getting the whole
Certified
personal trainer Doris Ward with The Spa has created a training package that
participants can download for the Townships Project web site.
She is also
holding a training session at the Spa on Sunday, April 24,
Kelley MacQueen at MacQueen's Bike Shop
is also offering indoor spin cycle classes at regularly scheduled intervals
throughout the week. Special rates and times for Tip to Tip for Africa groups can be
arranged.
Individuals
can do the entire Tip to Tip for Africa ride or teams of up to
four members can enrol and share a single team
number. However, in the case of teams only one person at a time can be on the
trail and access meals and accommodations.
To bike the Tip
to Tip for Africa, each participant or team of participants must raise a minimum of
$350 in donations which go directly to the Townships Project. The additional
$50 registration fee goes toward participant costs.
For Chislett, returning to the bicycle rider's seat after more
than three decades has been all the easier because of the strong sense that she
is doing something for someone in
"We don't
quite realize how much this means to them in terms of having a living, being
able to have their children go to school, being able to put food on the
table," she says.
"I don't
think we, here in
For more
information about the Townships Project or to download the training programs or
registration forms for the Tip to Tip for Africa ride, visit their
website at www.thetownshipsproject.org, call
Illustration(s):
MacKay, Mary
Ron Hately, left, and Gary Ogle are two members of
the Canadian Ski Patrol who have traded their winter volunteer duties at
MacKay, Mary
Rev. Bob Lockhart of
With a micro-loan from the Townships Project, Nokuzola
Sylvia Mkhaba, who lives in a township in
MacKay, Mary
Sheri Chislett of
Category: Society and Trends
Uniform subject(s): Laws and regulations; Sports and leisure
Length: Long, 1565 words
© 2005 The Guardian (