Our dearest friends,

Two hundred and twelve thousand are dead, three hundred thousand are injured and another two million have been reduced to living on the streets. The earthquake that struck the nation of Haiti has been labeled as the worst natural disaster to strike the Americas in history. This earthquake was measured at a 7.0 on the Richter-Scale and lasted mere minutes but managed to completely demolish the capital of Port-au-Prince as well as its surrounding towns and communities. Haitians are in turmoil as much needed help struggles to reach them. This desperate, tragic condition has received the attention of the world as more than twenty nations including the United States have sent aid to this ravaged country. Unfortunately, this is not enough.

Everyone by now knows about the tragedy that struck and now looms over Haiti. Many of those affected were children that are now homeless, and sadly parentless. Fortunately this disaster did not take them all, but thousands of these children are in need of our help.

Our names are Travis Brotherton and Jordan Rickard. We have planned a bicycle trip across America that will venture out in mid May. The 3,788 mile journey will begin in Wilmington, North Carolina, and end in San Francisco, California. We are dedicating this voyage to the newly orphaned children of Haiti. We feel that if these small individuals can find the strength to survive then we can find the strength to peddle forward in their honor.

Your donations are extremely appreciated! We ask that you give us a penny a mile so that we can help these children live and see a brighter tomorrow. Your thirty five dollar donation will help us make a small portion of this trip a reality as well help these children.

A small portion of your donations (25%) will support our trip as we feed ourselves daily. We will fund every other aspect of the trip ourselves. This includes equipment, lodging, and any other external expenses along the way. The rest of your donations collected  (the other 75 %) will go directly to Doctors Without Boarders which is a wonderful organization that aids individuals in need in over 60 countries around the world. As we will be attempting to raise as much money as we can from now until the day we reach the Pacific Ocean, we will give this organization a check upon our return home and donate specifically to their Haitian relief efforts. Here is a link to their website so that you can further understand specifically where your donations are going: Doctors Without Borders. Note: We will only use what we need to complete this trip, any additional  funding will (even if it is part of our 25%) be given to Doctors Without Boarders.

Again we want to thank you for your generosity and interest. We invite you to check out our blog that will document the trip itself with our words and our images. Upon the start of our trip (we plan to depart May 17th, 2010), portions of this site will be updated continuously so that you, your friends and families can keep up with our progress. Wish us luck and God Bless!