On Being Shameless...

Today I’ve come to the realization that sometimes being shameless is the only way to be, the only way to accomplish things. I really haven’t pondered the concept of shamelessness before; I have a friend who is shamelessly (and absolutely harmlessly) flirtatious and like to point that out to her when I see her in action; it’s very amusing. There are those who will vouch for the fact that I am often shamelessly blunt in my choice of words when it comes to expressing my opinion. But I just haven’t given much thought to things like brazenly asking for something. Until today.

Two young men who live in my home town of Oberlin, Ohio are planning a cross-country bike ride to raise awareness and money for pancreatic cancer research. John Romano, whose aunt was diagnosed just a few months ago (and who, sadly, died this past week), will leave Oberlin on September 23rd and ambitiously plans to arrive in San Francisco in early November, right around the time of a Pancreatic Cancer Action Network event in California. His good friend Eddie D’Agostino is joining him for the adventure. You can read a little about it (and donate some money to PanCAN, if you wish) at www.ridetothebay.com How’s that for a bit of shameless promotion?

The guys have forsaken employment, for now, in order to train daily in preparation for their ride. They want to follow old US Route 66 across the country, not the most direct route from northern Ohio to San Francisco, but that’s the plan. This is a home-grown effort --- there will be no chase car, no backup or assistance when they need to stop for a flat tire or first aid, no SUV to jump into when they get caught in a thunderstorm in the middle of nowhere. Just John and Eddie heading west on their bikes. I’m sure their families and friends who proudly wish them well as they leave town will also harbor some degree of worry for their safety.

They also plan to camp out along the way. As a middle-aged person (I can't believe I'm saying that here, by the way) whose bones ache at the mere thought of sleeping on the ground every night and then biking a hundred miles or so day after day, a few things have occurred to me:
1) this trip will probably be more physically taxing than they now imagine or expect,
2) there are surely lots of folks along the way who will respect and admire their determination and who would be willing to provide the guys a roof (maybe even a couch or a bed) for a night, and a shower, and
3) since they are funding the actual trip themselves while raising money for a good cause, they could probably use some sort of sponsorship or assistance with daily expenses for things like food and water and whatever incidentals might arise.

I am barely acquainted with John and don’t know Eddie at all. A few weeks ago, I had a brief conversation with John about their plans and have thought about it ever since. What an amazing selfless thing for each of them to do -- a guy in his early 20’s who is motivated to make this arduous trip by his aunt’s illness, and his good buddy who decides to go along to keep him company and to help further the cause. And what might they discover about themselves, each other, life, and the rest of the world along the way?

I feel inspired to help in some way, in fact today I find myself almost obsessed* with finding as many ways as possible to help them. I want to approach everyone I know (shamelessly, of course) who might be willing to do ANYTHING, to tell them the story of John and Eddie. I’ve thought of contacting cycling clubs across the country, or posting some sort of open notice on www.couchsurfing.com (my sister suggested that one) so they might know at the outset that they have a few places to stop and really rest for a night. I’ve considered reaching out to local chambers of commerce or newspapers along their route to see if any businesses want to help them with some protein bars or bottled water or maybe the luxury of a motel room for a night -- for free, of course. Aren’t there people in America who would do this, out of the kindness of their hearts? We hear about stuff like that all the time, don’t we? Surely someone who reads this (assuming that someone will) knows someone who knows someone else who lives along their planned route who will put them up for a night? Maybe a merchant, or a person on the street, will donate a six pack of bottled water as they pass through town? Maybe some local bike groups will decide to ride with them for a few hours and scare up some more donations for the PanCAN fund? Maybe... who knows?

So, raising awareness about their trip as they travel across the country might provide them some creature comfort, a little connectedness, and might also raise more money for PanCAN. Potentially lots more money, and wouldn’t that be a good thing? Does any of this warrant being shameless? I think it does. And maybe more to the point that sometimes shameless is a good thing, who will know that any of that needs to be done without some outright shamelessness? That said, check out their page at www.ridetothebay.com If you already did it the first time I mentioned it, good for you. (Shameless, no?)

I had a short conversation with John today, and told him that I have some ideas about how they could promote this thing and maybe get to take a shower and sleep in a bed between here and there. He seems pretty humble about doing any sort of PR for the ride and isn’t seeking the limelight in any way, so he hasn’t begun to take advantage of the possibilities that exist to make their trip easier or their fundraising efforts more lucrative along the way. Shameless self-promotion is the last thing on his mind. The guys have their hearts in the right place -- would some shameless promotion, or asking for some kind of sponsorship be wrong? Mind you, PR isn’t my thing either. I have no doubt that this will be a trip they remember for the rest of their lives. To begin their journey knowing that they have raised awareness of pancreatic cancer and money for PanCAN due to local efforts and word of mouth will be very fulfilling for them. But wouldn’t it be great if their message somehow reached a much wider audience? To share the whole experience with some help from strangers along the way, to learn that their accomplishments have perhaps inspired someone else, and to possibly raise more money than they had hoped for (as of this writing their goal is set modestly at $5,000) might enhance the experience many times over, and why shouldn’t we all try to do that for them?

I want to tell John and Eddie that now is the time for them -- or someone, anyhow -- to brazenly spread the word about their trip. I want them to learn now that there are times when being absolutely, unapologetically shameless can help. I truly hope they don’t mind that today I am shamelessly beginning my blog with their story -- because I think people need to see what John and Eddie are up to these days.
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What now? I hope this post inspires at least a few people to do some small thing for any good cause, but maybe to help make this a fantastic journey for John and Eddie. Maybe you‘ll decide to make a donation, however large or small, to PanCAN or even to some other entirely unrelated cause. Maybe you can make a call and hook the guys up with a place to sleep as they cross the country. If so, please do so shamelessly, and email any offers or good news you have to them soon (there’s an email link on that PanCAN page of theirs, did you see it?) since they’re leaving in less than two weeks! Maybe you can very shamelessly email a link to their page www.ridetothebay.com to everyone in your address book and hope for the best. I’m going to shamelessly send this post to an old school acquaintance who writes for a newspaper in San Francisco, just because I can.

* more about my obsessions in future posts...