Joe Louchheim rode his bike for four-months through nine African counties while raising more than $17,000 for CAPS
With the blessing and support of my wife, Summer, I was able to pursue one of my lifetime bucket list items: riding the length of the African continent on a bicycle while raising $17, 112 for Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS).
My bicycle journey was a four-month adventure over every imaginable type of terrain through Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.
I was one of about 34 cyclists making the full trip. While we were accompanied by a mechanic, a medic and food, the trip was a bare-bones expedition involving tent camping and “water bottle showers.”
As a special thank you to my amazing wife, I chose to use this journey as an opportunity to raise money for CAPS, an organization to which she devotes much of her time and energy. CAPS is the only national nonprofit dedicated exclusively to protecting companion animals from cruelty in pet shops and puppy/kitten mills. It’s a scrappy boot-strapped organization that punches well above its weight.
CAPS recently played an instrumental role in securing passage of legislation in New York, where we reside. This important law, for which Summer was involved in gathering critical evidence, bans the sale of puppies and kittens in pet shops, which source virtually all of their animals from mills.
Because this trip involved cycling, I thought it made the most sense to seek donations based on the total miles I rode. Supporters of my Africa journey could make a one-time donation or a per-mile pledge. Thank you to all the donors for giving me a boost and supporting this amazing organization!
For stories, photos and videos from my amazing journey through Africa, see my Instagram and Pledgeit pages.
