We cycled across the United States in 10 Days to Reach 10,000

In 2007, we took our first trip to sub-Saharan Africa, where we saw the horrifying effects of unsafe water on societies, families, and individuals. That experience was a catalyst for a journey that has included cycling thousands of miles to try to help thousands of Africans get safe water, sanitation, and hygiene training.

Since 2014, Wheels4Water has imagined and executed new ways in which anyone can make a tangible difference in the fight against the global water crisis using only bicycles, a passionate community, storytelling, and heart for doing good. Following the incredible success of the 2014 – 2016 rides in which communities across the United States joined Wheels4Water fundraising efforts to raise over $230,000, the vision of 2017 will be set on new heights.

On September 10-19 of 2017, the Wheels4Water team will make our biggest advancement to fight the global water crisis yet. We will ride over 3,000 miles, from San Diego, CA to Jacksonville, FL, with a goal of raising $200,000 to transform the lives of a community in the Kaliro District of Uganda. If we reach the $200k mark, Wheels4Water’s efforts since 2014 will have given safe water access to over 10,000 people in Uganda and the DROC. But this can not happen, without your help!

About the Region – The Kaliro District of Uganda

Despite great strides in economic and social development in recent decades, Uganda continues to struggle to provide safe water and sanitation to its most vulnerable citizens.

The 2017 Wheels4Water ride will focus on providing life-changing water and sanitation resources to a community in the Kaliro District of Uganda. Throughout the coming year, Wheels4Water will spread the word about our vision of providing 10,000 Ugandans with safe water and sanitation. Along the way, we will form critical partnerships with people and organizations that share our hope of ending the water crisis in this region.

The Region at a Glance

The Kaliro District of Uganda faces significant health and economic concerns, which many governmental and policy leaders are directly tied to lack of access to safe water.

71%

Lack Access To Sanitation
67%

Live Below the Poverty Line
67%

Lack Access to Clean Water

Justin Ahrens

Rule29 Creative

As leader of Rule29 and father of four, Justin enjoys digging into a business problem and designing a strategic solution. But he gets a bigger charge out of seeing the positive impact that solution can make – for the client and for the world. As a creative, he believes that we are built to see the world differently than most. It’s one of our unique, innovative traits. We all say we want to be a part of changing the world, but how do you actually accomplish this? Justin hopes that, through initiatives like Wheels4Water, he will be able to make positive changes in key global issues while also transforming himself, his company, and help influence the design industry as a whole.

Brian MacDonald

Wonderkind Studios

How do we make choices that help to shift our perspective? As a visual story teller Brian uses his photography and film making at his company, Wonderkind Studios, to challenge people to look at ideas from a different view. He is in constant pursuit of that elusive moment that makes people slow down and consider a new possibility. He continually challenges himself to shift views, and honestly, quite often fails. But there have been small victories as he has been able to share the stories of incredible people struggling in unbelievable circumstances. It is for those people that he’s doing this ride. It’s his hope that we will not only raise money and awareness for clean water in communities of people in Africa, but that we shift our view to one that everyone can do something to make this world a better place.

Tony Narducci

O'Neil Printing

Tony has established himself as a leader in the print industry in Arizona over the course of a 35+ year career and as CEO of O’Neil Printing. Tony and the O’Neil team are not only loyal supporters of Wheels4Water and Lifewater International, but integral in the management and logistics of the rides. This year Tony is helping lead the Team AZ ride and will once again be a significant part of it’s leadership and success.

Daren Wendell

Lifewater International

Daren is a co-founder of Activewater. An accomplished public speaker, Daren regularly shares about the global water and sanitation crisis at conferences, churches, youth groups, schools, and small businesses. Some of his athletic accomplishments and personal campaigns to raise money for safe water include walking 3,400 miles of the United States, cycling 4,400 miles from Oregon to Virginia, competing in several marathons and ironman events, swimming 50.6 non-stop miles across Lake Michigan in under 35 hours, climbed Kilimanjaro, and running 100 marathons in 100 days across the United States. He holds a B.A. in Youth and Family Ministries from Kentucky Christian University.

Dave Weller

AmWINS Insurance Brokers

Dave is an EVP/Managing Director for AmWINS Insurance Brokers, an international commercial lines insurance brokerage firm. Insurance sometimes gets a bad rap, but it’s a critical element in people’s daily needs, even when they don’t think about its existence other than every once in a while when the bill comes due. Sort of reminds us of Water – we don’t think about it much because we have it readily available. But if you took it away, we had to walk hours to get clean water, or settle for dirty, unsanitary water, THEN we’d think about it a lot. Dave has been regularly involved in cycling fundraising events for Lifewater, annually riding a 100-mile uphill route from the ocean to a mountain peak, and took a trip with Lifewater to the remote regions of Ethiopia, which solidified his commitment to the safe water cause. He will be part of the Wheels4Water cycling group as they make their way across the country, as well as helping coordinate the logistics and daily plans.

Steve Stamen

Steve Staman has three children and six grandchildren. For most of his adult life, he participated in a variety of ministries. He has been involved in several jail ministries, food pantries, meals to the homeless and the underprivileged, as well as a volunteer at a storefront ministry to the homeless, addicts, and prostitutes. Steve also volunteered with Youth for Christ for ten years at a detention center for at-risk kids.

For the last ten years, Steve and his late wife took many short and extended camping trips which covered almost every state in this great United States of America. Steve is pleased and feels privileged to provide and drive his motor home as a support vehicle for such a worthy cause as Wheels4Water.