Omar Anderson, Staff Reporter
IMAGINE THREE British siblings making a nine-week, cross-country ride of 3,470 miles on an articulated pedal-cycle in the United States.
It's quite mind-boggling as to why these unselfish youngsters would risk their lives through swamps, deserts and dangerous mountain ranges, all in the name of charity.
That's what the "Pedal Power Trio" of David, Caroline, and Antonia Campbell all did in October to raise money for the Joy Town Community Develop-ment Foundation project in South St. Andrew.
Their story is quite compelling and unusual in that not only did they risk their lives, but they all quit their jobs to help humanity, having no forethought about how they would fare out.
David, 25, the younger of the trio, had been visiting Jamaica since he was 20. His consistent visits stimulated his love for the island and in 1998 he brought several friends here. It was during this time, he said, that he heard of the distressing social and political issues racking Rema, the alias for Wilton Gardens in South St. Andrew.
"I knew I had six months free so I decided to return to Jamaica to build a basketball court," he said last week. He said he later contacted Pastor Bobby Wilmot of the Covenant Community Church who liked the idea and committed to help raise funds for the project.
As it turned out, David said from funds generated, two basketball courts were built and two were renovated in the community. The Campbells have so far raised 10,000 pounds for community projects.
When did the three start to have an interest in helping humanity? Caroline, 24, said that a few years ago, they tied their feet and walked several miles for a homeless charity in Britain. Based on the positive response, they decided they would do something different this time for the less fortunate in South St. Andrew.
"We never visited America before then, and we thought what better way to see America than on a bicycle," she told The Gleaner. After they had all conceived what they wanted to do, Caroline said the family contacted an English bicycle specialist back who lent the three a two-seater recumbent bicycle.
She said they then ordered a single recumbent seat from Germany which was attached to the two-seater by a hitch. "It was quite an unusual-looking contraption," she said, laughing. "We received a lot of reactions. We got a lot of attention from people on the roads."
It was through these people, she said, that they received donations which were put in a pot hinged on a conspicuous place on the three-seater cycle.
So on October 4, this year, the three started their journey in Florida east coast to the west coast of Los Angeles -- 3,470 miles, through sunshine and rain, and all in nine weeks.
But before the journey started, David, a shoemaker back home, quit his job and so did Antonia, a teacher. Caroline, who in July this year finished her degree in zoology at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, said she never even thought of looking a job.
"We wanted to take the challenge to have an adventure to raise money for Joy Town because we can get jobs when we get back to England," she said. "I think the feeling is different in England. We like going on adventures and this was a big adventure."
And off they went!
Of course, it wasn't quite easy because at times they rode miles non-stop, through swampy lands and deserted places, and sloping mountains, with no one in sight to even encourage them. "We had a tent. We had no support vehicle, so everything we needed was on the bike," Caroline said. She added that at one point they travelled 123 miles without stopping. Throughout the journey, the Pedal Power Trio never stayed in any five-star hotel or guest houses. Instead, they pitched their tent until they were ready to hit the roads again.
