Local vets take part in the Old Glory Relay
Biking to raise money for veterans' mental and physical health
Bill Sauber and Bob Rogers have a lot in common: they both live in Sebastopol; they're both veterans; they're both Rotarians; they’re both experienced cyclists; and they're both participating in the Old Glory Relay - a fundraising project of Team RWB (Red, White, and Blue), a national veterans organization that emphasizes social connection and physical activity as a means to improving veterans’ mental health.
“‘Enriching veterans’ lives’ is the group’s tagline, and a big part of that is suicide prevention and helping avoid depression and symptoms of PTSD and all that,” said Sauber, an Air Force veteran who served during the Vietnam War. "The rate of suicide among veterans is much higher than the average population, because of the trauma they've gone through. The purpose and focus of this organization is getting veterans involved in the two things that all the research says will help: one is physical activity and the second is engaging with other people. So they have all kinds of different activities, and they vary month by month."
The Old Glory Relay is one of these activities.
As participants in the Old Glory Relay, Sauber, Rogers and their teammates (along with 600 others nationwide) will help carry a single American Flag from Seattle, WA, to Atlanta, GA. The relay - in which people will bike, run, walk and roll, while carrying the flag – starts today, April 1; it will take 50 days and cover over 4,000 miles.
Sauber and Rogers are part of a Northern California team that will carry the flag on their bikes from Westport, just north of Fort Bragg, to Bodega Bay down Highway 1, starting at 6 am on April 11.
Their team calls itself "The Elder Eagles" because the average age of the teammates is 75. They're the oldest team nationwide participating in the event, Sauber said.
Their teammate and fellow Rotarian John Cottle of Mendocino will ride from Westport to Mendocino; Sauber will ride from Mendocino to Bodega Bay; and Rogers will ride from Jenner to Bodega Bay.
In Bodega Bay, he'll hand the flag to their teammate Ray Cratty, a 90-year-old Sebastopol resident and Korean War veteran who lost a leg in action. Cratty will walk it over and hand it off to the next team in the relay.
You can speed the Elder Eagles on their way by sponsoring their team. Your donation benefits the work of Team RWB.
