A team from Outreach to Haiti, including St. Patrick parishioners Tom Campbell and Jim Hubert, participated in a 5-day, 337-mile bike ride. The ride began on September 25 in Freeport, ME and touched five of the six New England states. The purpose of the ride is to raise awareness and funds to support Outreach to Haiti's mission in Haiti. The bike ride was planned as a "virtual trip" across Haiti: the distance chosen for the trip is the distance from Jeremie on the West coast of Haiti, through the capital city of Port-au-Prince, where OTH is based, to Cap-Haitien on the North coast. In the interest of time and money (and for better roads and better weather), the actual ride is in New England. This is the third annual bike ride. At the completion of this ride, the total distance ridden will surpass 1,000 miles. The amount raised in the first two rides is just under $40,000.

The money raised on this year's ride will be used for the installation of solar power in the new Norwich Outreach Center in Haiti (construction to start early this fall). The Center has been in the planning stage for several years, with a Capital Campaign that reached and exceeded its target in late 2016. Donations from the rides the last two years were used for the campaign. 

Solar power is clearly a great power source for Haiti. With the intensity of the sun, the system would quickly pay for itself. Besides being environmentally friendly, ongoing operating costs would be lower, allowing more money to go directly to helping patients and students.  

The ride included visits to several supporters of Outreach to Haiti. The team visited St Patrick's Cathedral in Norwich, CT, where they were greeted by Bishop Cote, St Matthew's in Tolland, CT, St. Peter's in Higganum, CT, and Mercy High School in Middletown. On Friday, September 29, the ride concluded at St Patrick's, as a thank you for all our support. As you may know, St Patrick's has been a generous supporter of Outreach for many years, and a group of parishioners organizes a larger fundraiser each year that reaches beyond the parish, and has raised almost $300,000!

For more details about the ride, including a daily summary and a link to donate, can be found athttp://outreachtohaiti.org/Ride-2017.

For more information about the Outreach to Haiti bike ride, please contact Tom Campbell at thomas.a.campbell@snet.net