Welcome to the First
World Bike for Breath Newsletter!!!

Well it has been over two grueling years of fund raising; filling out endless legal forms and applications; holding many more board meetings than I promised my board; selling cookies at bake sales; talking to corporate presidents; creating web pages and letterhead; and drinking too much Seattle coffee. Somewhere in between, Lorenz and I have remained happily married (despite not a few heated discussions); Anya and Yvonne still talk to us (despite moving into pre-teenhood); and although I am not sure where we have found the time, we still put at least as many miles on our bikes as on our car. Suddenly January and the start of what we seriously believe must be the easier part of World Bike for Breath—pedaling around the world—is only four months away. And we want to thank you all for your patience, encouragement and support.

Has it all been worth it? Someone who had just read my most recent article in Adventure Cyclist, titled “Why I Ride”, e-mailed me yesterday, explaining that they, too, were planning to cycle around the world (sans kids) and were thinking it might be nice to raise some money for an obscure disease. However, after looking at our web site, they were concerned that it would be a lot of work. (Do you really need a board? What is that 501-c-3 stuff? Was it hard to approach corporations?) Little did they know, I thought! I answered that if they were thinking that fund raising for a good cause would be a convenient way to pay for their ride, then there were many easier approaches: get a second job (definitely less time and stress); refinance their house (certainly during our down moments we’ve seriously considered this one); or work along the way. However if they truly were passionate about their cause, if they had a dream that has been haunting them day and night for the past five years, and if they honestly could find pleasure and joy in working 20-40 hours a week for two and a half years without pay (or promise of pay) for a project that fills their life with meaning—well, then nothing could stop them.

As I look back over the past two years, I am amazed at what we (with your generous help) have accomplished. Somehow we have started a non-profit corporation with an unbelievably dedicated board; virtually every facet of our new little business from web site design to brochures, to secretarial and legal and financial services has been donated by skilled and hard working friends; our goal of raising asthma awareness and educating the public has already started full force with interviews on TV, radio and the newspaper; we have a full row of corporate and business sponsors’ logos on our web pages; and already to date we have raised over $48,000 in cash and in-kind donations! Of course we still have far to go (some 15,000 kilometers actually). But we’re excited to have you along on our journey.

So dear friends and sponsors, we are asking you to tell us what you want in your newsletters and on our web site as we write to you from the road. For our e-mail subscribers, are our letters better as attachments or in e-mail text? Do you want photos or videos (must be attachments then)? Maps of our route? Postcards with exotic stamps? A way to write to us personally? A chance to pedal with us? Let us know your wishes and suggestions. This is going to be one fabulous adventure together and we’re excited to share it with you! Looking forward to your messages.

The Eber Family

Updated: Sep 20, 2002

Thanks to our sponsors!