The Last Hill Before Home: S.F.S.U. Interview

Monday, April 27, 2009

S.F.S.U. Interview

Lets talk a bit about this interview. Where shall I start??? Lets start here...with my buddy Blake.

My buddy Blake, whom I know from San Francisco State University, ontacted me about a month ago. He shot me an email asking me where I was, how things were going and then he mentioned that he wanted to meet me somewhere along the ride. I told him that it would be awesome if he could meet me. Again, anytime anyone wanted to meet me I was all game! The more people that got connected to this project the better. But and there was a BIG BUT I told him tat I was about to hit Baja California and that if he wanted to meet me he would have to hop on a plane in a few days and fly to La Paz. Plus...I told him that I planned on doing Baja in 14 days and that I was riding about 150 kilometers per day through the wind, rain and desert. Well...after reading that last email Blake never got back to me! hahah!

I eventually cleared Baja, flew through San Diego, and up the coast of California. I was one day away from San Francisco when I got a call from Mike or maybe it was James. Mike and James were working seriously hard and fast on getting this amazing slide show presentation done so that we could show it at the party in San Francisco. James, a writer/producer/editor/a guy that can leap buildings with no problem at all was going to sit at his house on Saturday and wait for the last pictures of me from the Golden Gate bridge so that he could edit the video and have all the photos from the last day. Anyway...Mike or James told me that they would add the pictures and email the slide show to Blake. Ahhhhhh Blake gets back into the action! So Blake would then upload the video Saturday afternoon and burn it to a DVD. Well..this is all a side note, but the video came through. The video was played at the party and it was probably one of the coolest moments of my life. Anyway...on Sunday I realized that I had to get the finished product from Blake. So, thanks to a ride from my Dad we went from the Westin in San Francisco to Blakes Apartment near Golden Gate Park to get the video.

After chating with Blake, Blakes awesome girlfriend Crystal, my dad and I we all came to the conclusion that the slide show was the coolest thing from the night! So as my dad and I were taking off Blake comes running out the door to pass a message along. It turns out that his roomate is an intern for NBC and she is also a senior in the Media and Broadcast Department at San Francisco State University. Anyway...his roomate Cory (the girl in the video) wanted to interview me for the San Francisco State University TV station. Blake wanted to know if I was in?? Hell ya...any exposure or any chance to bring awareness to the cause was good for me. So here I am...the next day doing an interview with the Fabulous Cory Marshall on the San Francisco State University campus.

I was a bit nervous but the story of the bike trip has been told more than a few times. It was fun to do and some great experience. Thanks Bake and Cory for the opportunity! I had a great time...

Peace, Power and Pedal

Aaron

2 comments:

Blake said...: hah.. ya, that 150 km didn't sit to well with me. ;) Always happy to help.; April 30, 2009 at 4:00 PM
Cory Marshall said...: So glad you enjoyed the interview!
And I apologize for the incorrect spelling on the CG!; April 30, 2009 at 4:29 PM

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Plan USA

¨Plan is a global partnership of caring people founded in 1937 to bring hope and help to the world’s poorest children.

Plan began as a child sponsorship organization. Today, we are one of the oldest and largest organizations of our kind—our grassroots, self-help programs assist more than 10 million children and their families in poor communities around the world.

We are proudly private, not for profit, and respectful of local religions and cultures—we have no agenda other than helping kids. Plan USA is one of more than 60 national organizations bearing the renowned Plan logo. ¨

Right about the time that I was identifying non profit organizations to work with I received an email from my cousin Joshua. Josh, a meteorologist for the United States Air Force who is living in Germany and currently stationed in Iraq, mentioned that he was now sponsoring a child through Plan USA. He said that it was a small step but a small step in the right direction. He also mentioned that Plan USA was backed by the Better Business Bureau, a point that we both respect. Through various research of my own I found that Plan USA is a prominent NGO and has a great marks from InterAction and the Charities Review Council. Most importantly I found that Plan USA´s mission of ¨striving to achieve lasting improvement in the quality of life of deprived children in developing countries¨ linked exactly to my own mission for this fundraising event. Needless to say, it was a great fit.

The Inspiration

¨You must be the change you want to see in the world¨

- Mahatma Gandhi

I love to travel.

I have been lucky enough to throw on a backpack and visit 5 continents. I have been fortunate enough to see some amazing sights. It´s hard not to be inspired when your standing under the rotunda at the Taj Mahal or approaching the Pyramids of Egypt or wandering through the waterfalls at Iguazu in Argentina. These have all been inspiring times.

I also cherish the fact that I have met people from all over the world and been able to learn and share in the differences in cultures. You can learn so much when you share a spicy vietnamese sandwich with a local in Hoi An, when you take a stroll with a friend in a park in Santiago de Chile or gather with pilgrims over a pitcher of sangria at Santiago de Compostella in Spain. I´ve learned a lot and I´m incredibly grateful for all the opportunities.

With all the ups there´s also the downs. Theres another side you see when travelling. This side isn´t shared as much and it can also be quite difficult to talk about. Many countries, especially in the developing worlds, face many problems. HIV/AIDS, pollution, over population, lack of clean drinking water, dangerous living conditions and of course people living under $1 a day are just a few of the issues to mention.

I have wandered through the ghetto´s of Bangkok, I played stick games with the kids in the slums of Mumbai and seen the horrible living conditions of the street beggars in La Paz. While these encounters were only brief they still had a profound affect on me. Somehow, I draw inspiration from these encounters and connections. In so many situations these people who seemed to have nothing, were still smiling, still playing and still trying with all their means to get by. If only I had that much courage!

It was culture shock and it hurt.

I feel that now is the time to give back.

I encourage you to leave comments on this blog. Every word of positivity will help me along my journey. I encourage you to pass the message forward. Together we can help make a change for the kids that need it most. Finally, I encourage you to donate. There´s an icon on the top right hand corner of this blog that will direct you to a third party site that facilitates the donations. Its totally secure and safe. I appreciate all the love and positivity that I´m already recieving, of course this is not possible without people who want to help make a difference.

I don´t think that I´ll necessarily change the world, after all I´m just a 28 year old guy from San Francisco. But, I do want to give back. I do want to help. I have the opportunity so why not use it to help the children in the world who don´t have the same chances.

Now is the time to ¨be the change¨.

The Goal

In riding my bike from Panama City to San Francisco, I am initiating a grassroots fundraising effort to help raise money to feed starving children in Central and South America. All proceeds will go to PLAN USA. My goal is to raise a minimum of 15,000 dollars. In doing so I also hope to bring the plight and struggle of these children into the concious of the public, as well as their profound sense of life, courage, hope and faith. Their undeniable love for life, and ability to continue to dream.

Donate today http://www.firstgiving.com/lasthillbeforehome

I Believe

When taking on a mission like this it´s important to create a set of ideals, principles or beliefs. The task at hand is by no means going to be easy. These 7 beliefs are truly the fundamentals that will help me along my journey.

I Believe...

- In Plan USA. Plan´s clearly defined mission of ¨striving to achieve lasting improvements in the quality of life of deprived children in developing countries¨, is possible with the support from us if we are willing to make a difference today.

- In grassroots charitable efforts. Dedicated individual leaders and community outreach groups are fighting the growing problems of poverty.

- In the power of communication and information. Plan´s key programs of ¨growing up healthy, learning, habitat, livelihood and building relationships¨, are possible by making a donation and passing the message forward.

- Riding a bike from Panama City to San Francisco will raise awareness to the fight against poverty.

- In outdoor adventure travel. Riding is one of the positive and healthy activities that plants confidence into any individual.

- In the power of synergy. A group with a common mission driven by creativity and passion can accomplish any set of goals.

- A dream, a bike and a regular guy from San Francisco can help make a change in the lives of children whom need it most.

The Last Hill Before Home

Monday, April 27, 2009

S.F.S.U. Interview

2 comments:

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