UE seniors put pedals to the pavement for tsunami victims
One's an Indianapolis liberal who plans to teach in France after he gets his degrees next month in French and international studies at the University of Evansville.
The other is a young Republican from Bicknell, Ind., a pre-med/biology major who will follow in the footsteps of his physician father.
TO DONATEPeople will be able to donate to their "Pedaling for Pennies" fund-raiser or get information and updates once the trip begins by calling (812) 890-6451. Once they get rolling in June, the duo plans to have their own blog with a journal and pictures, which will be linked to the University of Evansville's home page at www.evansville.edu.
So, imagine the conversations Jonathan Kirkwood (the conservative) and Bryce Krause (the liberal) might have during June and July as they bicycle 3,500 miles across the United States, raising money for tsunami relief. Through red states and blue states, over mountains and across plains, past Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone, from Indianapolis to Long Beach, Calif.
Actually, the two UE seniors, who graduate May 7 and begin their bike journey in early June, laugh off any political differences.
What's more important, they say, is having the graduation fling they've been talking about since last summer - and helping nations hit hard by the tsunami.
"We started talking about how much fun it'd be to take a bike trip," Krause said.
"I said, 'Let's do it, instead of just talking about it,'" Kirkwood added. Originally they planned to raise money for charities supported by their fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, "but after the tsunami it was obvious what we had to do," Krause said.
Although they ride for their fraternity's bike team - which competes in the annual Bike Race today at UE - the bulk of the planning and training (perhaps even adding a few pounds to their 6-foot-1 frames) will take place in May, once finals and graduation are over.
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