Phila. resident bikes for a cause

For Alexey Berlind bicycling from coast-to-coast this summer was a breeze -- but only for a short distance. The West Philadelphia resident said eight mile-per-hour Nevada winds pushed him effortlessly uphill. But he and 20 other cyclists in Bike Aid spent most of their time pedalling and sweating to raise money for the Overseas Development Network. Bicycling nearly 3,600 miles across the country the 21 cyclists left San Francisco in June for a nine-week cross-country bike trek that ended in Washington. Bike Aid Coordinator Mike Spiegel said the fundraiser has already garnered over $100,000 which will be directed to development relief projects in several sites in Latin America and Africa. More donations are still expected to arrive, he added. Bike Aid was a project of ODN, a California-based group that sponsors developmental programs in economically depressed regions around the globe. According to Berlind, a sophomore at the University of California at Santa Cruz, ODN prides itself in its "hands off" approach to sponsoring community service projects. After approving a proposal from a community group in a depressed region, ODN sends up to $5,000 to local community leaders to implement their program. "In spite of [their humanitarian efforts], organizations like the Red Cross and the Peace Corps are guilty of charitable imperialism," Berlind said. "Even though they're trying to help these people, they establish themselves as bosses on the sites and direct the project themselves. It's like telling you how to clean your own house." Spiegel agreed adding that many international relief organizations are not in touch with the problems of the people they are helping. "We believe that a community needs to be in control of their own project," Spiegel said. He added that the natives -- not foreign volunteers -- could best produce a sustainable result on the particular site, not just "a quick solution." All bikers were required to raise at least $2,000 in donations. Berlind said he even gave guitar lessons and knocked door-to-door for support. Friends, relatives and a several of businesses even contributed to his venture. The route itself was planned by ODN, Berlind added, and the bikers received shelter along the way in school gyms, churches and community centers. Several community groups, restaurants and even local residents along the route helped feed the bikers during their trip. A national van company sponsored a support vehicle which followed with the bikers' baggage, he added. Despite the hundreds of hours they spent pedaling, the group also engaged themselves in community service projects along their route. The cyclists visited several Indian reservations in Arizona and Nevada, worked in homeless shelters in Colorado and helped Habitat for Humanity build houses in Utah and West Virginia. Berlind stressed that Bike Aid is not a competition of any sort, as all bikers ride together. "I've never biked more than ten miles before," Berlind said. "I was really not an athlete at all, but I still did it." He attributed his involvement in Bike Aid to his sense of responsibility to the community. "If one's conscious of a problem, then one has a responsibility to do something about it," he said. Since 1983, ODN has financed locally-initiated, grassroots community development projects in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the U.S. The organization promotes education of worldwide racial and developmental problems. Bike Aid also coordinated three other cross country trips -- originating from Seattle, Portland and Brownsville, Texas. Bikers from all four teams ended in Washington.