A New
Spin on
Fundraising
In
the
spring
of
2007,
I
announced
my
intent
to
walk
from
Jacksonville
to
NPR
headquarters
in
Washington
in
an
effort
to
raise
money
for
WUWF
and
awareness
for
public
radio. It
seemed
like
a
crazy
idea
at
the
time.
Why
would
anyone
walk
one
thousand
miles
across
America
alone
in
the
heat
of
the
summer?
Surely
there
must
be
easier
ways
to
motivate
listeners
to
support
WUWF.
I
made
the
journey
because
I
believe
that
public
radio
is a
national
treasure
that
must
be
nurtured.
On
April
6,
2009,
I
plan
to
embark
on
the
next
big
adventure,
this
time
by
bicycle.
I
will
travel
from
Pensacola
to
Ontario,
Canada,
retracing
one
of
the
original
Underground
Railroad
routes
used
by
American
slaves
to
escape
from
the
South
to
freedom
in
Canada.
And
once
again,
I
will
be
on
my
own
time
and
covering
all
of
my
own
expenses.
This
trip
will
be
as
much
a
history
lesson
as
an
adventure.
The
entire
route
is
approximately
2,200
miles,
which
I
hope
to
complete
in
about
six
weeks. Needless
to
say,
I
have
been
doing
some
serious
spinning
in
preparation
for
this.
My
hike
was
a
wonderful
collective
experience
with
folks
tuning
in
and
following
along
online
throughout
my
58
days
on
the
road.
Once
again
I
will
be
reporting
from
the
road
on-air
twice
daily
and
posting
a
daily
online
journal
about
my
adventures. As
with
my
walk
to
Washington
in
2007,
I am
asking
for
your
support
of
this
new
adventure. Contributions
in
any
amount
are
appreciated
and
can
be
designated
for
certain
sections
of
the
trip.
Together
on
my
2007
hike
we
raised
more
than
$25,000
in
support
of
the
programming
you
enjoy
and
we
shared
a
great
adventure
Walking
the
Blue
Highways.
Let’s
set
our
sights
even
higher
this
time
around
and
let
Biking
the
Underground
Railroad:
Pensacola
to
Ontario
2009
prove
that
extreme
fundraising
is
the
way
to
go.
Check
back
here
regularly
and
stay
tuned
to
88.1
for
updates
on
the
preparations
and
more
details
as
we
get
closer
to
the
April
departure
date.
