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| Shawn Campbell |
By Shawn Campbell
Special to the Aroostook Republican
It is 4:30 a.m. on a Saturday. When most 23-year-olds would be sleeping off their Friday night or resting up for their next week of school, I find myself waking up and getting dressed. Why am I up at this ungodly hour, you may ask? Well, I have the privilege of getting up at 4:30 a.m. (yes, I said “privilege”) in order to help nearly 100 bicyclists from all over get ready to undergo a two-day, 130-mile bike-a-thon.
This weekend marked the second annual Ride Aroostook fundraiser event. The two day “bike-a-thon,” as I like to refer to it as, was held in order to raise money for children with diabetes, specifically those attending Camp Adventure, which is a summer camp for children between the ages of 12 and 17, with Type 1 Diabetes.
So, next I find myself standing outside at 5:15 a.m., boarding a bus with over 20 other volunteers from Loring Job Corps Center, in order to help out in this fantastic event. None of us had participated in this event before, so we were all excited to be a part of it. I had a personal motivation for participating outside of helping the cyclists and my fellow volunteers. I have some family members who have struggled with diabetes for most of their lives and to be able to help in this event and maybe help someone else who is struggling with this disease was an added bonus.
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| Staff photo/Kevin Sjoberg Katelyn Adams of Woodland was one of the energetic volunteers greeting Ride Aroostook participants at the Cary Medical Center’s rest stop during Saturday’s leg of the event. |
At around 6 a.m., we arrived at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Everyone sort of shuffles out of the bus and acclimates to their surroundings. Then we proceed inside for a nice breakfast and to learn our placements on the road. After each volunteer is assigned a place (or places) on the road, we then get to have a little fun. Our main job is to direct the riders and make sure everyone stays safe (both rider and driver while the event is taking place). However, we also get to have fun while doing our jobs. At one point my friend Jake and a few others started calling themselves the “Fantastic Four.” I didn’t have the heart to tell them that group name was already copyrighted.
So, at this point, each volunteer gets to grab all kinds of eccentric accessories and clothing to make them stand out. At the end of the event, the best volunteer(s) is voted on by the riders based on outfit, energy, cheerfulness and overall spirit. This year we actually had three volunteers who worked as a group on both days and earned this distinction. Those three are Job Corps students and personal friends of mine. I can attest to their spirit, energy and outfits (especially the outfits).
Not to say their spirit was lacking. On more than one occasion Jake would stop traffic for the cyclists and proceed to do a hula dance for the riders, drivers and general onlookers. Not to be outdone of course was another friend of mine, Jeremiah. His dance was so outlandish, he was asked by several passers-by if he needed help finding the local rehab (they believed him to be a drunk).
After the conclusion of day one, I, along with a few other volunteers, took down some of the tents and equipment that had been setup for the day and proceeded back to UMPI for music and some much needed R & R. We got back around 2:30 p.m. to the start of the festivities. There was live music playing and a baked potato bar. At this point many of the volunteers got to have some face time with each other and the cyclists, something we had only been able to do in limited instances up to this point. It was a great experience to see everyone just enjoying the rest of the day and the fruits of their labor. They even had a massage table for those that were worse for wear.
Sunday began much in the same fashion as Saturday. Unfortunately I was unable to participate in day two but many of my friends did and I was able to get some of their accounts of what occurred on that day. Most of the same volunteers for day one, rejoined the group for day two.
My friend Jake (the leader of the “Fantastic Four”) was especially excited to start the day. Sadly, as he approached the bus, he noticed a devastating blow to his team. One of the four members was nowhere to be found. Jake fell to his knees and exclaimed “WHY!!!???” Well, at least that is how I imagined it. He more likely didn’t even notice the missing member until after he had arrived at UMPI. So, the group known as the “Fantastic Four” was now known as the “Terrific Trio” (where he comes up with these names, one could only guess).
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| Staff photo/Kevin Sjoberg Loring Job Corps students, from left, Ethan Szeto, Myasia Williams, Jose A. Rivera Jr. and Junior Nicolas get ready to help out on the course in their festive costumes during Ride Aroostook, a cycling tour held Saturday and Sunday. |
Despite this setback and the gloomy weather, Jake and his band of merry men, took on the day with great passion and energy. So much so, that those three were the group that won the “Best Volunteer(s)” award. Their names are Jake Dansereau, Emmanuel Morales and Spenser Jerome Andrus.
Day two was as big a success as day one was. All in all the entire event went off without a hitch. Despite the rain on Friday and the overcast clouds on both Saturday and Sunday, the riders still came through for the fundraiser and we came through as volunteers, to help them on their way.
