Winter Training

As you can imagine, the amount of training required to undertake a trip of this type is immense and necessitates us getting an early jump on it. You may think that biking (or triking) here in the north country of southern Vermont (those in northern Vermont still call us flatlanders who live in the tropics) in the winter would be prohibitive. To the contrary, we find it quite easy and exhilarating. The secret, of course (as you can see from the pictures) is to wear the proper attire. Here Jake is doing hill trials in our driveway in a Bike Vermont jersey, Giro snowboarding helmet, and Statesman mud boots (sans clips to allow for a quick bailout, if necessary).This fashionable ensemble makes him equally ready for a 50 mile cross country trike ride or to attend the Vermont Governor's inaugural ball.

With any luck, the snow should all be gone by the first of June - so we can get in a few days of road riding before we head west.

Hope you are all well and enjoying your winter - wherever you are.

- Rob

Autism Fundraiser Donations

I have just added a DONATE button to the Blog that is linked to Paypal. My understanding is that you may pay for your donation through your existing Paypal account, create a Paypal account if you don't have one, or simply pay securely with a credit card without having a Paypal account. I'm hoping that this will make it easier for those of you who don't want to pay by check or for those of you under 30 who may not know what a check is.

Jake and I have started our training for the trip and are looking for sources of donations. If anyone out there has any ideas for fundraising or knows of any individuals or businesses who might be interested in supporting individuals with autism, please forward this blog to them or contact me at: givingbacktour@yahoo.com.

Thanks and keep watching for updates.     - Rob & Jake

Preparing and Fundraising

If you're on this Blog site, then you already know that my son Jake and I are planning to pedal our way across the country to raise money for individuals with autism and their families. We will be traveling from the westernmost town in the Continental United States - Ozette, WA - to the Easternmost town - Lubec, ME. The two of us will be doing this as a self-supported trip on recumbent tricycles, called "trikes." We will be starting in early June and ending in time for both of us to get back to school (Jake to his senior year at the Compass School in Westminster-West, VT and I to my behavioral consulting services in a number of school districts in New England).

For the past 28 years I have worked in a variety of capacities supporting children and adults with autism. It is this that has led Jake and me to use our cross-country adventure as an autism fundraiser. While there exist many services to serve this population, there are often gaps in coverage - and funding for many needed services or materials is not available. We recently created a non-profit charitable organization called "Giving Back, Inc." (501(C) 3 status pending) in order to use donated funds to purchase these services and materials for those who need them. Your financial assistance will help buy communication devices, sensory equipment, summer camps, and more to improve the lives of children and adults on the autism spectrum.

On this trip we also hope to raise awareness about the need to support effective autism treatments and to inform consumers about how to determine (in advance) whether they should "try something new." Many people are given false hope by individuals and organizations that make unfounded promises or use only anecdotal evidence to promote a product or technique. As a Behavior Analyst, it is important to me that we always strive to find new and more effective treatments for persons with autism, but do so in a way that is ethically and scientifically responsible and that protects autistic individuals and their families from interventions that are often ineffective, costly, and directly or indirectly harmful.

If you wish to donate to this effort, you may do so by sending a check or money order to:

Giving Back, Inc.

P.O. 1361 

Brattleboro, Vermont 05301

You may also contact Rob or Jake at: givingbacktour@yahoo.com. 

Your support is greatly appreciated.

At present, Jake and I are scrambling to complete all of the work necessary to undertake a trip of this type (buying bags and accessories for the trikes, making travel arrangements to get to Seattle and beyond, organizing the fundraising, etc.). Please check back for our Blogs on the status of our preparations and to follow our trip starting in June of this year.