The Moscow Times gives permission to print the following article
Dedicated Riders Endure Rain in the Name of Charity
By Daniela Rible
Special To The Moscow Times
| We
suffered through a storm, sunshine and windy rain, but we'd do it
all over again for Downside Up's third annual charity bike ride. "The most amazing part was the last part, riding along the Moscow streets, seeing all the traffic stopped, people tooting their horns in the pouring rain. It all made the atmosphere tremendous," said soaking but energetic Briton Henry Thomson behind St. Basil's Cathedral. Thomson was among some 70 cyclists who arrived on Red Square on Monday afternoon after biking 150 kilometers to raise money for the Moscow-based charity that helps children with Downs syndrome. |
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We
began the three-day route Saturday morning on the outskirts of Moscow.
The route took us through a short storm and along country roads to
the scenic Pereyeslavl-Zalessky. On the second day, over a 76-kilometer
stretch, we were fortunate to have warm weather. We finished the day's
bumpy and rocky ride at Sergiev Posad, the historical center of the
Russian Orthodox Church. |
| Monday's
route took us through Abramtsevo and then the final distance from
Novedevichy Convent to Red Square. Despite the wet and cold wind, the fatigued riders were greeted by Jean Reilly, director of Downside Up, Downside Up staff and some of the families with whom the charity works. |
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Staff
planned for the event over the past six months. Each participant was
required to raise a minimum of $1,500 in sponsorship donations. Some
riders received pledges from their employers, though most raised funding
through individual donations from family and friends. All monies go
directly to children's early intervention programs, which provide
speech therapy, physical therapy and special education. |
| Reilly
herself cycled 126 kilometers over the first two days. "It was
wonderful riding through the Russian countryside while having the
opportunity to meet such a great group of people dedicated to the
same cause," she said. This year's group was comprised primarily of Moscow expatriates and eight Russians. |
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Ron Hargis, 33, from Washington, D.C., came to Russia specifically to participate after learning of the ride from Heather Foley, a three-year ride veteran. And though he came to the ride with experience — in June he participated in a 360-mile AIDS ride in Washington, D.C — the event was more difficult than he anticipated. "It's
proved to be challenging. ... But the spirit is definitely here
on the ride so it keeps everybody going," he said. |
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| Two riders from Tbilisi, Inga and Vakhtang Shiukashvili, rode in support of both Down syndrome children in Russia and the children from their own charity, Babilina, a Downside Up satellite, Veronique Garrett from Briton, a trustee,is another three-year veteran of the ride and mother of a five-year-old daughter with Downs syndrome. | |
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| She
and her brother, Jeremy Barnes, who was working in Moscow at the time,
realized there were no facilities here to help Downs children, so
they founded the charity in early 1996. Garrett's provides advice to the Downside Up staff on how parents should help these children, advice she bases on her own experiences with her daughter and models in the West. "The parents are not only starting to keep their children at home, but they are also hoping and knowing that their children are going to succeed," Garrett said. "They are going to live independent lives. To give a parent that hope is the best thing you can do." Downside Up thanks the following for their generosity in supporting the ride: Jack's, Figaro, St.Springs, Aton, Cafe Chevignon, Brasserie Du Soleil, Kodak, Radisson-Slavjanskaya Hotel, Starlite Diner, Reebok, Planet Hollywood, Sodexo and Reform Press. |
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| News |
| Statistics |
| Press about Downside Up |
| Info for new families |
| Funding |
| Charity Ski Race |
| Red Square Charity Bike Ride |
| How to make a donation |
We
are very grateful
to the following companies
and organisations for their generous support:
E-mail: downsideup@downsideup.org
and of Russian Charitable Fund no. 67698