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Community Corner

An Epic Ride for Water Safety

Woodinville Water District's general manager is heading to Honduras by motorcycle.

Ken Howe, general manager for the , will get on his motorcycle one day in early January and ride to a charity board meeting.

Why is that news? Because that Water For People board meeting is more than 3,500 miles away in the Central American nation of Honduras. Howe's solo journey will take him through the entire length of Mexico and Guatemala, through deserts and rain forests and across mountain passes in the dead of winter.

The ride combines two passions for Howe: motorcycles and water issues. He is riding to raise awareness for Water For People, an organization that works to provide safe drinking water and sanitation for people around the world. He's been doing rides like this since 2005, but this is the most extreme yet. And he wasn't planning to do it alone.

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At first, four riders planned to make the journey, "until just a few weeks ago when the number has whittled down from four to three to two to just me," Howe said. "I had to think long and hard if I really wanted to ride down to Honduras by myself. I started thinking about all the reasons why I could not do this like: security issues, sheer distance, riding by yourself, border crossings, and not speaking the language. 

"Then I started thinking about all the people we do this for. I mean, these people struggle for water. Some carry water for miles, water you wouldn't wash your car in.  Some have never seen clean water.  Their concept of sanitation devices is foreign.  Then I started thinking, who am I to say it's going to be too hard to go? So I'm going to do it.  I'm going to pull this off with the idea of generating as much interest in these projects and these charities and the greater awareness of clean water issues [as possible]." 

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The idea behind these charity rides took root in 2005, when he and colleague Bill Persich rode down to San Francisco for an annual conference of the American Water Works Association.  On their return trip, they stopped in for the night due to torrential rain and strong winds. In high spirits despite the conditions, they decided to start a tradition of riding to these conferences. 

Yet they felt they needed a greater purpose other than the open road.  The idea struck:  Create a charitable purpose for these rides. Water Buffalos: Ride With a Purpose was formed, and since then many dedicated professionals have joined Howe and Persich in the effort to fundraise and build awareness for their charity of choice when dealing with clean water issues, Water For People. 

They have since ridden to the association's annual conferences in Atlanta, Toronto, Chicago, San Diego and San Antonio.  The 2011 conference will be in Washington D.C., where about 50 riders from all over the United States and Canada will each raise funds through sponsorship within their local communities. The Water Buffalos have now raised more than $300,000 for Water For People.

Worldwide, 2.6 billion people currently live without adequate sanitation and 1 in 6 people live without access to safe water, according to the United Nations. Water For People has undertaken numerous water sanitation efforts in Honduras, site of the board meeting in January (which will be held in the city of San Pedro Sula).

Howe's wife Anne said she is "very supportive of Ken's pursuit and understands the significance of why he is going."  One past ride was a family affair: In July 2010, Howe rode to a meeting in Alaska and back with his 17-year-old son Chris ("a trip of a lifetime," Ken Howe said in an e-mail). Howe rides a BMW R1200 GS Adventure, and has ridden daily for about 10 years.

Weather will be a factor in Howe's ride to Honduras, and he hopes to avoid any major snowstorms along mountain passes. He plans to leave Jan. 6, 7 or 8 and arrive for the meeting in Honduras on Jan. 26; he will provide periodic updates at http://www.facebook.com/waterforpeople. After the meeting, he will ride back as far as Veracruz, Mexico, and from there he will ship his bike back home while he gets on a flight back to Seattle. In all, he expects to ride about 6,000 miles. He'll carry a GPS tracker so the folks back home can track his progress.

Howe will also be incurring the expenses out of pocket, as he declined his original sponsorship when no other riders were available to join him. Ken displayed his gratitude to his employer and his family: "The Woodinville Water District has been very gracious to allow me the flexibility to pursue this really important issue." 

For more information or to donate, contact www.Waterforpeople.org

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