Desert Messenger

May 20, 2015 www.DesertMessenger.com 11 OPEN YEAR-ROUND! LARGE LOTS! ~ FREE WiFi ~ Laundromat ~ RO Water ~ Thrift Shop ~ Delights Gifts & Antiques 455 E. Main St. Quartzsite - PROPANE SALES - Open 365 Days/Year for Your Convenience! Pets & Children Welcome! - PROPANE SALES - - PROPANE SALES - Pattie's RV Park 928-927-4223 Close to Everything! Quartzsite WiFi Computer Repair, Service & Support Home or Office • Virus/Adware/Spyware Removal • Low Rates • Fast Service! 24-Hour Turnaround Time • Computer Sales, Quality PC Support www.QuartzsiteWiFi.com SAVE! 928-927-5592 By Shanana Rain Golden-Bear Quartzsite, AZ – A husband and wife team from Hesperia, CA, with their four mini Yorkshire Terriers, have set out on a drug education bicycle tour across America. The group stopped in Quartzsite May 11th for a short break and to tune up their bikes. Virgil "Evan" Tanner and his wife Lacey, along with their four furry companions, Bug, Doodle, Cecil and Hazel, are riding in honor of Virgil's brother who died from an accidental overdose. They ride with the hope of keeping their tragic loss from happening to other families. The couple began their travels in San Diego, CA on April 27th and are pedaling to reach St. Augustine, FL by July 15th. Along the way they stop in hundreds of towns to spread edu- cation and understanding to people about the harmful effects of drugs. Virgil said, "Two years ago my brother, Damon, died after taking two painkiller pills that weren't prescribed to him to comfort an injured knee so he could get some sleep. The side-effects stopped his breathing and he never woke up. It was a sudden shock that has torn a hole in my family." Yorkies on drug awareness mission He said they are just average Amer- icans, not professional cyclists. They decided to get off the couch and ride for drug awareness so that maybe this won't happen to other families. "When I learned that my brother had died I was devastated. He's gone and there is nothing we can do about it—except ride in his honor," said Virgil. As they travel the husband and wife duo are stopping at schools, Boys and Girls Clubs and commu- nity centers to hold drug education seminars that focus on educating kids why they shouldn't take drugs rather than just telling them not to. "If we can help just one person realize how unsafe drugs are, it's all worth it," said Virgil. "We want to help kids, and adults, understand what can happen from the harmful effects of drugs. We give them facts and share true life stories of other kids who overcame a drug problem," said Lacey. And Lacey and Virgil are not alone, the Yorkies are tagging along the whole way; towed behind in a bicycle cart. These little friends have a combined weight of a mere 20 lbs. and wear tiny anti-drug t-shirts to do their part to help raise awareness about drug abuse. The little cuties have cool pads and collars to keep them comfortable in the summer heat. "If you see us in your part of the country feel free to stop us and say "Hi" or give the pups a pat. Tell us your story about how drugs af- fected someone you know and we will put it on our website. Some stories, like Damon's, may not have a happy ending but it is the cour- age of sharing them with others that get people to pay attention and make a change," said Lacey. After visiting Quartzsite, they will continue eastward until they reach the Atlantic Ocean. This 3100 mile journey will take almost 3 months. With local supporters cheering in each town they will ride ever onward handing out "The Truth About Drugs" booklets and asking people of all ages to sign a pledge to be Drug-Free, which will then be sent to Washington DC. "Because of the help of so many individual people sponsoring and supporting us the planning for the tour has been a great success. And we can't say enough about the generosity of our Main Sponsors Hawaiian Moon Skin Cream and American Botanical Pharmacy. Because of these people we were able to get most of the education supplies and equipment needed to even make this happen. But we still have quite a bit of ground to cover and still need help. We're asking people to please go to our website www.Bike4DrugFreeUSA. com to see how they can make a difference too. If all we do with this trip is save just one life then it will be worth it because that one life is important and belongs to a family that will mourn," said Virgil. For more information about the Drug Free Bike Tour go to www. Bike4DrugFreeUSA.com Virgil, Lace and the Yorkies would love to hear from you. They answer every contact personally each night after a hard day's ride from their camping tent with the Yorkies by their side. ����� | S������ R��� B���C��

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