A fast trip will demand a bit of fast food.
That’s the lighthearted perspective of Columbus resident Mark Yeaton, 56, a longtime cyclist in peak condition and not normally linked to burger-and-fry guys.
But when he and two other riders depart from Louisville, Kentucky, today on a nine-day, 900-mile fundraising trip stretching into Sault St. Marie, Canada, they’ll take whatever nutrition they can get along what is known as the United States Bicycle Route.
“When the engine’s hot, you can easily burn just about anything (in calories),” he said.
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Doug Yeaton, Mark Yeaton’s brother in Greenville and a former runner, and Columbus native and Indianapolis resident Len Newton also will be along for the ride. Unlike most such excursions that include a following or tracking van with supplies, the cyclists are carrying all gear with them in a move they call “bikepacking,” including camping along the way.
The trio aims to raise $1,600 that will become a low-interest loan to support two Ghanan families’ business plans via the Columbus-based ministry Mission Resource International.
“It’ll simply help them both have a better future,” Mark Yeaton, a local teacher, said. “It’s amazing that so little of our money can go incredibly far over there.”
The nonprofit organization provides funding and training for businesses in developing countries that impact lives and communities spiritually, economically, socially and environmentally. The agency gives small, low-interest loans to business men and women in Ghana and Liberia, West Africa, and Kenya, East Africa.
The overwhelming bulk of the ministry loans are paid back promptly.
David Ketchum, co-founder of the ministry 15 years ago, gushes gratitude when he considers such efforts.
“It’s great anytime the ministry has an opportunity for someone to do something as thoughtful as this,” Ketchum said.
“We’re just giving people a little bit of help to get a business started,” Mark Yeaton said. “Ideally, what these people want is help given in a way that gets them on their own feet so they can go on from there. From their point of view, they know they cannot always rely consistently on American dollars.”
Mark Yeaton has spearheaded several other fundraising rides for the Christian outreach the past several years. He seldom sweats the heat, even with temperatures in the 90s recently.
“When you are constantly moving and generate windflow all around you, the heat is not bad,” he said.
Even if it were an extra challenge, as a man of faith, he hardly is complainer. In fact, he always seems to be honored to be needed by others in some way.
“Look,” Mark Yeaton said, “if God gave me the physical ability to do something like this, it would be a shame not to use it for his glory. I am just a conduit with this — all for a greater purpose.”
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You can support the ride of Mark and Doug Yeaton and Len Newton by making a donation to the Columbus-based ministry of Mission Resource International at missionresource.org.
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