General Information About The Great Transversal

It was recently brought to my attention that this blog doesn't give a good explanation of why I am undertaking this journey. So, to address this deficit, I have copied the letter I sent to about 100 friends, family, and acquaintances below. Everything should be explained in the letter: 

Last Christmas break, I was given the opportunity to volunteer at the Puericultorio Perez Aranibar (P.P.A.) orphanage in Lima, Peru. The trip was organized by Global Volunteers (www.globalvolunteers.com), a St. Paul, MN organization that specializes in international volunteer experiences. During my time at P.P.A., I was thoroughly trounced by the orphans on the soccer field and learned, first hand, the challenges of holding the attention of 3^rd graders for more than 3 seconds. Perhaps the most humbling aspect of my trip, however, was a realization of the gaping chasm that existed between the vast number of opportunities I had been given that others had not. This realization prompted action to at least partially address the imbalance. In this way, the idea for the Great Transversal of Minnesota was born. 

 

Limited Internet and cable access in Peru provided ample opportunity for undisturbed reflection. My thoughts always led back to my arrival, how it was marred by delay after delay and the intense frustration I felt at being a victim of circumstances completely out of my control. I realized the intense frustration I felt during my trip was something the children of the orphanage live with every day of their lives. No one consulted them about being born in a shantytown with a family unable to care for them, or worse, want them. They didn’t choose to live in a walled compound while other children their age got to enjoy unimaginable freedoms: trips to the zoo, the movies, vacations with their families, and the like. It was then I realized that of everything the children lacked, the most glaring was opportunity. At the same time, I learned of Global Volunteer’s academic sponsorship program. The idea is simple: a sponsor provides money to send a qualified student from P.P.A. to college. Yet even though it costs a mere $500 per year to sponsor an individual, the program was forced to turn away several deserving students in 2008 due to a lack of funds.

 

My conviction to sponsor the children of P.P.A. in their college education was catalyzed by an anonymous quote read by a fellow volunteer: “Because I have been given much, I too must give.” From this conviction, the idea for the Great Transversal of Minnesota slowly crystallized: I would apply my passion for endurance sports towards raising scholarship funds for the orphans and hence transfer some of my abundant opportunity to the underprivileged orphans of P.P.A. On June 6th, I will begin a 400-mile, 7-day trip across Minnesota.  Travel from the North Shore of Lake Superior to Rochester will be solely human powered, involving kayaking, swimming, biking, rollerskiing (similar to rollerblading but with ski poles), and running. My goal is to raise $5,000 dollars in sponsorship. All funds will be donated toward college scholarships for the orphans. More route details will be forthcoming, but the adventure will begin with kayaking in Lake Superior and will finish when I run the final miles into Rochester, my hometown.

 

The orphans and I would be grateful if you would be willing to consider sponsoring this trek. Please let me know at torc0002@umn.edu. Checks can be made out to “Global Volunteers” and sent to my Rochester address: 4418 Ettenmoor Ln. SW, Rochester, MN 55902. If you wish to make a donation online, go to http://donations.globalvolunteers.org, click on “select a fundraising page to view”, and then search for “Mike Torchia” to view my page. Since Global Volunteers has 501(c) status, all donations are tax-deductible. Finally, refer to my blog, www.greattransversalofminnesota.blogspot.com, for the latest news on the adventure. Thank you for taking time to consider this request and I hope to hear from you soon.