Cuba Donation Project Update
Joyce Bono and I packed up two suitcases full of donations from GCC members for Cuban cyclists Monday. 70-80 pounds worth!
We are so grateful to club members and the Club itself for the contributions of bike supplies and money towards the extra charges the airline imposes for luggage to Cuba.
We don’t travel until January but our tour company sent this about a December tour they led and we thought you might enjoy reading it.
The tour group was met with enthusiastic Cubans at every stop and given praise for their work supporting Cubans with donations of bike equipment, medicine, and clothing.
Bicycle Breeze enables tourists to support Cuban youth cycling clubs which are organized under the EIDE framework (EIDE = Escuelas de Iniciación Deportiva, or Sports Initiation Schools). This tour group met youth clubs in Banes just south of the popular beach resorts of Guardalavaca, and in Baracoa which is at the far Eastern part of Cuba.
These exchanges are mutually beneficial as we get to meet and learn from Cubans and provide them with support.
During the tour, the group came across a Cuban cyclist with threadbare tires so they gave him new tires and tubes. He thanked God for providing what he needed. It’s a great feeling to be able to help someone out.
Most Cubans who are fortunate enough to have a bicycle rely on it as their primary means of transportation, but they are unable to buy new tires when they wear out. Tires make a great donation in Cuba whether you are on a tour, or having a beach vacation.
