This week, Keith visited the Winthrop and Doyon schools to receive a donation to “Pedaling for a Purpose”.  The children of the “Extended Daycare Program” (EDP) raised $612 at their recent “Talent Show” benefit.  This summer Keith will be riding from coast to coast to raise money for The Rotary Foundation and Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport.  The check was presented at the fabulous new Winthrop School playground, the entrance of which is marked by one of the Interact Peace Poles. 
 
The EDP program, led by Wilma Gooby, provides pre and post school daycare for children of working parents.  Parents drop off their children, grades K-5, at 7 am and pick them up at 6 pm on school days.  This valuable program for Doyon and Winthrop parents and pupils is funded by tuition rather than by the town.  Gooby is assisted by teachers and teachers’ aids such as Sarah Cummings and Cassandra Taraska who also were on hand for the presentation at Winthrop.  At Doyon School, Keith was hosted by Principal Sheila Conley and EarlyAct Faculty Advisor Elyssa Brand. 
 
At both locations, Keith presented information about his ride, the work of The Rotary Foundation, and bike safety.  Keith talked about the rules every biker should follow: wearing a helmet, riding single file in groups, and using clear hand signals.  As an example of the Foundation’s lifesaving humanitarian work, he compared living as a child in poverty stricken Sudan to their own lives in Ipswich.  The money that was raised by EDP will be used to provide eight families with water filters in an area that desperately needs clean water.  He wrapped up his remarks by taking the children on an interactive tour across the country that followed the route of his upcoming ride.
 
The children came away knowing much more about the thrills and challenges of long distance biking.  They learned the importance of preparation and self-sufficiency, about the good people he expects to meet while on the road, and of the techniques and traditions associated with long-distance bicycle travel.  Keith closed his presentations by noting that, due to their generosity, each of them would be traveling with him every mile along the way.  
 
Keith pedaling the Kancamagus Highway on May 24, in preparation for his cross country ride to improve lives.