Cort Gatliff and Christian Kauffman are putting a new spin on the senior year trip. Beginning March 4th, the Memphis University School seniors will take to the road for a 2,700-mile, cross-country bicycle ride called The Water Cycle.

Their mission? To raise enough money to build 10 clean water wells in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. By mid-February, they were halfway to that goal, thanks to pledges from corporate and private donors.

Thoughts of a road trip began a few years ago, when the two friends discovered a mutual passion for cycling. Out of their enthusiasm, the idea grew to bike across the country.

“Cort actually just called me one day, after my football practice, and he said, ‘I know we’ve been talking about biking across America, and I think I know the right time,’” Kauffman recalls. “I wasn’t exactly expecting it in that moment, but I was happy, and I was onboard from the start.”

Due to a packed summer of college-related activities, the guys had to plan the month-long trip during the school year. So in November, they broke the news of their plan to their parents, who Gatliff says “were pretty supportive right off the bat,” and agreed to take turns in the follow-car during the journey.

The duo then crafted a 10-page proposal to submit to MUS Headmaster Ellis Haguewood. After okaying the plan with the boys’ teachers, and laying down some ground rules, Haguewood signed off on the trek.

“We’re very excited about it,” Haguewood says. “It showed extraordinary initiative on their part, and I respect that. That’s what we like for all of our guys to be able to do — to come up with projects and experiences, and then try to find people to support it.”

To prepare for their month on the road (March 4-April 4), Gatliff and Kauffman have been doubling up on schoolwork, biking up to 300 miles per week, and garnering local support for their cause. At first, they had Africa in mind for their well-building fund-raiser, but after witnessing the devastation in Haiti, they decided to bring their safe water mission closer to home.

“One child dies every 15 seconds because they don’t have access to clean water, which is something, especially in Memphis, that we take for granted,” Kauffman says. “The statistics are staggering — half the world’s hospital beds are filled with people dying from diseases caused by unsanitary water.”

The two friends learned about unsanitary water conditions around the world last semester through their class, “Facing History and Ourselves.” Then, during a Christian faith conference in Atlanta, they met their well-digging partner, the nonprofit Living Water International.

“[Living Water] had this thing called the ‘Water Walk,’ where they had these huge jugs that were 40 pounds each, filled with water. And they had a course where you had to walk an eighth of a mile with it,” says Gatliff. “It was showing how people in Africa and Haiti have to walk like 10 miles a day with these water jugs just to get clean water.”

To complete the 10-state tour in time, which follows Route 66 from Santa Monica, Calif., to Savannah, Ga., the pair will need to travel about 100 miles each day. Translation: Seven hours of seat-time daily, followed by homework at the hotel. What other challenges do they face?

“Just mentally getting on the bike every day for 30 days is going to be pretty tough,” says Gatliff.

Adds Kauffman: “We’ve been riding through the ice and snow in Memphis, so hopefully we’ve been preparing enough for anything we encounter.”
But the hardships of the ride, they know, will in no way compare to the reward of bringing clean water to as many as 5,000 people in Haiti.

“This is really something that we believe is sustainable, and we’re really excited about the opportunity to lead others to serve,” Kauffman says. “It’s nice to show that high school students can actually change the world.”

The Inside Scoop

Favorite food
Chris: Chicken and dumplings
Cort: Mom’s cooking

Weirdest talent
Chris: Ping Pong
Cort: Juggling

Inspiration
Chris: “Lance Armstrong, because of overcoming cancer and going on to be the greatest athlete of our time, while still remaining focused on the cancer cause, and having a family which he loves.”
Cort: “Bono. I just love U2 and his music, and the way he helps Africa and the world is inspiring.”

When I grow up I want to
Chris: Study business at the University of Alabama, then run a nonprofit agency in Memphis.
Cort: Study journalism at University of Tennessee. Watch out, Anderson Cooper!

Know a Can-Do Kid? Share your story with us! Email: Janes@memphisparent.com

How to Donate:
To help Cort and Christian build wells in Haiti, or read updates from their biking blog, visit thewatercycle.org.  All donations go directly to the nonprofit organization Living Water International.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.