Some 15,000 kilometres and $16,000 later, Elmira’s Charlie Bauman has completed another incredible fundraising journey.
![Charlie Bauman rode his bike from Elmira to Fairbanks, Alaska this summer to raise money for World Vision. [Scott Barber / The Observer]](https://www.observerxtra.com/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/post_news_cyclist.jpg)
Having already trekked across Canada and the United States on his bicycle in two separate endeavors, this summer Bauman set his sights on Fairbanks, Alaska.
While the adventure of it all is clearly a draw, his motivation is the work done by World Vision, a Christian humanitarian aid charity widely known for its sponsor-a-child campaign.
“It’s important to me because I find that in our society, especially here in southern Ontario, we get so focused on our jobs and our immediate families that we don’t often think of others,” Bauman explained. “We do, but we don’t often put it to action. So I thought, if I’m going to do this, I’m going to go to the extreme.”
And he sure did.
On each transcontinental campaign, Bauman travels light, with just a tent, sleeping mat, rain gear, clothes, water pump, food, propane and a first aid kit. He sports a bright orange World Vision shirt, that lets people know about his fundraising goal.
It was $15,000, he said, one for each kilometre he travelled, but he ended up bringing in over $16,000 during the four-month trip (June 17 to October 10).
So what is the most difficult part of crossing the nation with nothing but a bike and a big heart?
“Most certainly past Grand Prairie (Alberta) and up into the north part of Canada, because that is the most remote I have ever been,” he said. “I didn’t know where I was going to be able to get food or water.”
Going half the day without seeing so much as a gas station can be nerve-wracking, he says, while adding that he “greets challenges with the intent of having fun and learning something.”
And his latest trip was a real learning experience.
“Honestly, it was a very enlightening trip,” he said. “It had its ups and downs, even more than my previous trips. It was a lot more solitary. But it also gave me a better respect for my cause and why I am doing it. It helps me walk a mile in their shoes.”
It also opened his eyes to the inherent goodness and generosity of Canadians, including one oil worker who donated $1,000 after meeting Bauman.
“The hospitality of Canadians in general is amazing,” he said. “There is a willingness to share or help you out, even if they don’t know you, because they believe in your cause.”
