Glen Ellyn bike ride to Lake Geneva area to benefit Uganda school
Barbara Retelny was not one of the skeptics when a Ugandan man who would later become a pastor shared his dream of building a school in one of the poorest regions of his country.
She met him on a mission trip through her Glen Ellyn church and would come to admire his faith and his work to persuade subsistence farmers in Uganda's Kamwenge District to send their children to secondary school.
Retelny, too, took a leap of faith when she and other parishioners of First Presbyterian Church started a nonprofit, Partners in Mission, and helped raise funds for the school's construction. It opened with just less than two dozen students.
But more than a decade later, Retelny is starting to see the rewards of her faith. Students and their families have come to believe, too.
"People are beginning to see that education does make a difference," Retelny said.
So much so that the dream has turned into a growing campus with 650 students. A charity bike ride Saturday from Glen Ellyn to Geneva Lake in Wisconsin, near the city of Lake Geneva, marks the last phase of a fundraising campaign to finish construction of the latest building on campus: a center for science technology, engineering and math.
The last three Bike to the Lake rides have raised more than $100,000 for a new kitchen and dining hall and the STEM center.
When it's finished, the three-story, 15,000-square-foot building will house new technology and a community library open to anyone in the rural district.
"I think these kids see this thing, and they see hope," said Gary Alcock, one of the ride organizers.
The Glen Ellyn dad, who will bike the 70-mile trip, has personal ties to the Kamwenge Secondary and Vocational School founded by the Rev. John Mulindabigwi.
Alcock's mother died the night after he completed the first bike ride in 2014. Phyllis Alcock was a longtime teacher in schools in Hinsdale, Western Springs and La Grange.
In honor of her memory and career in education, the Kamwenge school's kitchen and dining hall was dedicated in her name. An emotional Alcock attended the unveiling a year ago.
"It just tore me to shreds," he said.
Alcock also met students on a campus that provides vocational training for masonry, sewing, carpentry and agricultural skills.
"They want to succeed. They want to be given this opportunity, and this school has done it," Alcock said. "You can just see."
Nearly 100 bicyclists have registered for the bike ride that will begin 7 a.m. from the church at 550 N. Main St. Slots have filled for the 50-mile route, which starts in South Elgin, but spaces are available for the 70-mile course. Riders have to donate a minimum of $235.
The group will make three rest stops and take in scenic views along country roads and park trails. The final destination? The Abbey Resort in Fontana, Wisconsin, where cyclists will shower and enjoy a celebration dinner courtesy of two companies sponsoring the ride, Fellowes in Itasca and Darwill in Hillside.
An anonymous donor also has pledged to match the donations from the bicyclists, up to $45,000. By the end of the year, Partners in Mission hopes to raise the full $125,000 needed to complete construction of the STEM center.
The nonprofit also supports the operational costs of the campus and the hiring of Ugandan teachers.
As board president, Retelny will return in March 2018 to again witness how far the school has come from an act of faith.
"We're developing leadership for the community," she said.