ON A JOURNEY FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN

By STACY MILLBERG - Staff Writer - smillberg@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

July 26, 2008 05:33 am

— NORTH KINGSVILLE — The Rev. Bruce Overstreet has spent close to two months on a journey he will not soon forget and it’s not over yet.
Overstreet, of Plattsburgh, N.Y., has been riding his bicycle across the country since June 2. His mission is simple — to help women and children he has never met by raising money for the construction of a new hospital wing in Mali, West Africa for expectant mothers.
The motivation for his ride came out of the need for better healthcare in one of the most impoverished countries of the world. Women often die in childbirth and close to 25 percent of the children aren’t expected to live past
the age of 5. Mali is considered one of the worst places to be an expectant mother, according to www.bike4mali.com.
Things are changing though. The Christian and Missionary Alliance and the National Christian and Missionary Alliance have partnered to create a hospital in Koutiala. CM&A missionaries originally built the hospital after five women in a local church all died of complications during childbirth in just one month, according to the Web site.
However, the Women and Children’s Hospital doesn’t have enough labor and delivery rooms. It is not unusual for several women to share a delivery room. There are only 17 beds in the entire hospital, so some women end up giving birth on the floor. Because of the great need for more room, construction of a new hospital wing is scheduled to begin next summer, according to the Web site.
Overstreet first learned about the problems in the country through a friend who is working on the engineering for the hospital and decided to come up with a way to help out.
His journey began in Clam Beach, Calif., just outside of Eureka, Calif. nearly two months ago. Overstreet’s wife Sheryl is following him in the “Bike for Mali” RV. So far, Overstreet has ridden more than 3,200 miles of the 3,900-mile expedition that will conclude in Old Orchard Beach, Maine next month, he said.
Overstreet averages about 60 to 70 miles a day, but has ridden more than 100 miles a day on several occasions, including Friday, when he stopped off at Edgewood Alliance Church to receive a donation for his efforts. Overstreet was presented with a check for $600 that was raised during the past week at the church’s Vacation Bible School.
Overstreet, a former competitive racer, as seen many things on his journey and overcome many challenges, including the death of his mother last week, which forced him to take some time off in Indianapolis, Ind. to spend with family.
“There have been dry desert days in Nevada and Utah,” he said. “I’ve seen beautiful scenery along the way.”
Overstreet said the mountains in Colorado were certainly a sight to see; however, he probably would have appreciated them a little more had he not been climbing them on a bicycle.
“You get a different view of things when you’re on a bike,” he said. “I find myself examining things more to get my mind off the pain of riding.”
Overstreet said there have been a few days he has experienced a lot of fatigue and one of the greatest challenges is the motorists on the road.
“There are motorists that don’t think bicyclists belong on the road at all,” he said. “I had three trucks literally run me off the road.”
Overstreet plans to go to Mali in October and ride his bike 240 miles across the country to hand-deliver the money he has raised along the way.
Anyone wishing to make a donation can send a check made out to The Orchard Foundation, with “Bike for Mali” in the memo, to The Orchard Foundation, P.O. Box 35660 Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3566.
For more information on Overstreet’s mission, visit www.bike4mali.org.