Jacob Seigel-Boettner, a UC Berkeley student, has volunteered for Project Rwanda both in Rwanda and the U.S. for the past four years!

In 2006, Jacob stumbled across an article about Project Rwanda in VeloNews. With his background of civic engagement and passion for bicycling, the grassroots organization immediately captured his attention. Jacob organized a Ride 4 Rwanda event with his alma mater, Santa Barbara Middle School, to raise money for Project Rwanda. Since then the event has become an annual tradition, the 4th Goleta Beach Ride 4 Rwanda event was held last March and in the past 4 years the ride has collected over $11,000 for Project Rwanda.

In 2007 Jacob led a team of teachers and students from SBMS to train bike mechanics in Rwanda. They took 200lbs of gear and tools to supply the coffee co-ops using the Coffee Bike. "I have seen first hand the impact that a properly designed bicycle can have on those who need them the most."

Every Saturday morning, thousands of American cyclists don on their team kits and spin down to the local coffee shop to congregate with their fellow two-wheeled friends. On Saturday, February 20th, 110 Santa Barbara Middle School students and family members did things a bit differently. Inspired by the stories of farmers like Pascal who have been empowered by the bicycle (http://vimeo.com/5601774), they pedaled 9 miles on Rwandan-style muddy roads to help get bicycles to those who need them the most. The entirely youth-run event brought in over $3,000 for Project Rwanda. It was more than just a Saturday ride.

Saturday, February 20th

9:00 AM- Meet in the Goleta Beach parking lot for refreshments and registration.

10:00 - Roll out with Tom Ritchey and the crew.

12:00 - Return to Goleta Beach.

In Rwanda
...bikes serve as a vital tool for people all ages. Similarly, the Ride for Rwanda is tailored to accommodate cyclists of all ages.

...bikes and their riders must be able to handle all types of terrain, from paved roads to mule paths. The Ride 4 Rwanda will take place on bike paths as well as dirt trails...so knobby tires are recommended.

The Ride
The route will take riders inland from Goleta Beach along the beautiful Santa Barbara Bike Path. After approximately 4 miles, we will hang a right up Puente and hit the dirt at More Mesa. After cruising along the bluffs and taking in a view of the Channel Islands, we will head down to Patterson to reconnect with the bike path and make our way back to Goleta Beach. Approximate distance: 9 miles.

More Information

The 4th annual "50 Mile Ride for Project Rwanda" will be held on Saturday April 10, 2010 in Orange County, CA.

What began as a 50th birthday ride back in 2006 has evolved into one of the most anticipated and talked-about mountain bike events in Southern California. Last year’s event was enjoyed by over 400 fun-loving mountain bikers, and organizers expect over 500 riders to participate this year.

Last February Marc created a one-man Coffee Bike Fund Raiser. Riding 24 hours to fund 24 coffee bikes for the coffee farmers in Rwanda. This year he is focusing on increasing a U.S. market for Rwandan coffee and wants to be your coffee farmer for a day. For those in the St. Louis, MO Metropolitan area, place your orders now for Wooden Bike Coffee: A fun and complex Specialty Coffee that is the very best that Africa has to offer - Rwanda Bourbon.

4 friends who use to live in valley return during bike tour to raise money for Project Rwanda.

Ryan Auster sat inside Cutty’s on Friday night, glad to be anywhere but on his bike.

After riding 900 miles over 14 consecutive days, Auster and friends John Franklin, Ben Kettle and Dan Morris took a break from their cross-country bike tour to hold a fundraiser in their former hometown.

What makes Project Rwanda strong is the passion of its volunteers. Currently 199 volunteers have joined the Volunteer Network. We have individuals, groups and institutions willing to expend a variety of talents and skills from 2 weeks to a year in helping Project Rwanda accomplish our mission. Kim Coats has relocated from Las Vegas to Musanze where she will reside for 4 months functioning as a business development director for bike sales.

So, I'm a 42 year old woman who finally figured out what she wanted to do when she grew up. I left my successful career with a fantastic company in an economy where everyone is white knuckling their jobs and am moving to Rwanda to sell bikes to coffee farmers. Sounds perfectly normal to me!

The 50-Mile Ride event in Trabuco Canyon raises more than $24,000.

TRABUCO CANYON – Mountain bikers in Orange County did not let the economy stop them from raising more than $24,000 for Project Rwanda.

The 431 cyclists raised the money by taking part in the third annual 50-Mile Ride for Project Rwanda on Saturday March 21.

This year's event drew almost 100 more riders than last year.

"We were worried the economy might impact rider participation this year," said event organizer Doug Grant. "But rider support for our event has been amazing."

The 50-Mile Ride started three years ago as a 50th birthday ride for event founder Doug Grant. Each year, participants elect to ride either a 25-mile route or the full 50-mile route.

Rwandan coffee farmers toil diligently to provide basic provisions for their families. Cyclists love well-designed bikes. How many of us have more than one bike and still want another? Guilty!!! How many of us rely on our bikes to support our family's basic needs? Not many. We can make a difference and help the people of this small mountainous country rebuild their lives and livelihoods after the genocide. Currently, farmers utilize a cumbersome Stone-Age era wooden bike to move potatoes, beans, lumber and coffee cherries to market. A sturdy metal bike represents a better future, but is affordable to only 1 in 40 Rwandans. Unless something changes, most will wrestle a 300 pound load up to six miles on a 50 pound wooden bike. WE can change this on April 11th!

Date:	Saturday, April 11th 1:00pm - 9:00pm OPEN HOUSE Ride begins at 8:30am
Ride Info:	The ride starts at 8:30am from the RTC - 600 S. Grand Central Pkwy LV NV 89106. THIS LOCATION IS THE SAME AS THE VIVA BIKE VEGAS START. THE ROUTE WILL BE APPROX 45-50 MILES. All riders welcome!
Event Info:	How to find us...Kim Coats will be at the door awaiting your arrival at Hennessey's at the corner of Fremont Street and Las Vegas Blvd. There will be a secure place to park your bikes! The ride will end at Hennessey's, which is only a couple of miles from the RTC.
Donation:	$20 for all the food, beer and soda with 100% of the proceeds going to Project Rwanda. Tell your friends and family to meet us there. Children under 12 are free.

LOTS OF FUN AND ENTERTAINMENT

We will have a raffle of some amazing prizes!

• Signed Team Rwanda gear
• Signed Team OUCH posters
• Restaurant Gift Certificates
• Golf Certificates
• And much more

Raffle is $2 per ticket or 12 for $20 OUR GOOD FRIEND AND CYCLING BUDDY KIM COATS IS HOSTING THIS GREAT EVENT SHE DOESN'T CARE IF YOU RIDE OR NOT - SHE JUST WANTS YOU TO COME OUT AND BE READY TO HAVE FUN

On May 22, 2009 Dan, John, Ryan, and I (Ben) will dip the wheels of our bicycles in the Pacific Ocean and begin a 7 week bike journey across the United States. Calling ourselves The Tumbleweeds we want to experience the Good Ole' USA in the best way possible, by bike. Along the way we hope to raise money and awareness for Project Rwanda.

We can think of no better legacy of our trip than to raise money for a cause that we strongly support. Project Rwanda believes that the bicycle can be a powerful tool for economic development and cultural discovery, and we couldn't agree more. We humbly ask that you donate to Project Rwanda and help us provide bicycles to the coffee growers of Rwanda so that they may one day have the same opportunities that we enjoy. As always, a hearty "Thank You!" for your support.

Tumbling Along,
The Tumbleweeds

Make a donation on our campaign page