Code Blue Ride!
A quest to end homelessness in Sonoma County takes place Sept. 19 and 20, with a 100-mile bike ride inspired by Ed Buonaccorsi, former deputy director of general services for Sonoma County (he retired earlier this year) and member of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition.
Last year, Buonaccorsi and a small group of others (pictured here) rode 147 miles to test the course and the program’s sustainability. In the process, they raised $3,000; this year, they want to increase that funding amount. Anyone can participate and, for a $100 entrance fee, ride 50 miles from Prince Memorial Greenway Park in Santa Rosa to spend the night at Chanslor Ranch on the coast with great food and entertainment. The campsite, entertainment and three meals are included.
“Code Blue is a term used among county and homeless service providers when the outdoor temperature drops below 38 degrees. Outreach efforts are increased to provide warming stations, temporary shelters and a 24-hour hotline for reporting on individuals at risk,” says Buonaccorsi.
At noon on Sunday, Sept. 20, anyone with a bicycle (any age and ability) is welcome to meet up with the returning riders at Prince Greenway Park to complete the last 19-mile flat loop. There’s no charge for this part of the course, but people are encouraged to donate jackets, blankets, sleeping bags and/or cans of food. Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane; Matthew Mendonsa, Sonoma County General Services; Paula Shimizu, retired deputy director of Sonoma County General Services; Catholic Charities; NorCal Bike Sport; and more will be in attendance. The hope is to have at least 200 people involved—but even if there are 50, we’ll be excited.
“The real effort here is to raise awareness of the problem and to help address it. I’m hoping this will build each year and spread to other counties,” he says. “When the ride is completed, people can look back and say, ‘I’m lucky to be going home and to have done something besides just ride my bike today.’”
It’s estimated that there are more than 4,000 homeless people in Sonoma County alone, many of them children and seniors. With an extremely wet winter in the forecast, now is the time to help.
If you don’t want to ride but would like to support the effort, you can donate by mail at Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, P.O. Box 3088, Santa Rosa, Calif., 95402. If you prefer, you can call (707) 545-0153 to make a donation via credit card.
Pictured (L to R): John Haig, deputy director of Sonoma County community development commission; James Nantel, Sonoma County Regional Parks deputy director; Gary Helfrich; Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition executive director;
Jennielynn Holmes, director of shelter and housing for Catholic Charities; and
Ed Buonaccorsi
Freedom Day
Strange But True
A. Folk legend Woodie Guthrie (1912-1967) wrote more than 1,000 songs and often sang in “hobo jungles” and migrant camps, reports Mental Floss magazine.
One-time hobo, actor Clark Gable (1901-1960), later became the “King of Hollywood.”
Pulitzer-Prize winning writer Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) rode across six states for a year looking for work.
Prolific folk singer Burl Ives (1909-1995) was best known as the voice of Sam the Snowman in the Christmas TV special “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
Author Jack London (1876-1916) started hopping trains at 16 to look for work, which he later immortalized in his 1907 memoir The Road.
Jack “The Manassa Mauler” Dempsey (1895-1983) rail-hopped for several years on the way to becoming world heavyweight boxing champion from 1919 to 1926.
Hobo-turned-author James Michener (1907-1997) had a book of his adapted into the classic musical “South Pacific.”
Source: Bill Sones and Rich Sones, Ph.D.
