University of Michigan grad running from California to Maine in a fight against poverty.

Submitted by CoachBP6 on
I stumbled acoss this and thought it was cool and board worthy. University of Michigan grad Barclay Oudersluys is running from California to Maine in a fight against poverty. Another great example of the Michigan men doing amazing things. https://www.yahoo.com/movies/forrest-gump-fan-runs-cross-country-to-fig…
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Victor Valiant

May 23rd, 2015 at 9:49 AM ^

Certainly a symbolic gesture. I hate that the cynic in me sees this more as a narcissistic ploy to get attention, but at least it's for a good cause. Personally, I'd prefer he start a business and employ somebody currently impoverished. Employing 1 person full time would bring more value both monetarily and otherwise than raising 10K for charity.

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DonAZ

May 23rd, 2015 at 2:01 PM ^

I think that's a false equivalency -- one job vs. a more widespread donation campaign.

A more apt equivalency would be -- foster creation of many jobs vs. a widespread donation campaign.

I realize "Victor Valient" cited "one job" ... but it was qualified against the $10K goal.  Your point suggested an equivalency between one job and potentially much more than $10K.

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Sports

May 23rd, 2015 at 10:10 AM ^

Barclay is a friend of mine and I can provide some context. He started running just a few years ago and immediately fell in love with the sport. He started doing extreme distance stuff about two years ago and immediately linked it to charity. He's not doing the running for the sake of charity, he's tacking charity onto something he's already doing. It's frustrating to read commenters saying it's a play for attention, because this couldn't be further from the truth. For example, he ran from Aa to Chicago a year or so ago and chose to raise some money for juvenile diabetes while doing it. He was already doing the run, but knew it would get publicity, so he chose to direct it towards a good cause. His character is unimpeachable and it's frustrating to read baseless comments bashing this wonderful venture for no reason.



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DonAZ

May 23rd, 2015 at 2:45 PM ^

How can he afford to do this?

I wondered the same.

Follow the links and he claims 100% of the proceeds go to the STEP Foundation charity.  I'll take him at his word ... and therefore, good for him. 

100 days running across the country necessarily involves expense ... he likely has a shadow / support vehicle with him as well as at least one other person.  Hotels, food, gas ... it adds up.

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Ronnie Kaye

May 23rd, 2015 at 3:33 PM ^

Freep article says he has a friend who will ride around in a van that they'll sleep in subsiding on things like granola bars. Also said Barclay is from Birmingham, which might shed a little more light on the rich family question.

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finchdog

May 23rd, 2015 at 10:13 AM ^

Insane the distances he used to run just for a workout. Great cause and crazy to think he runs more than a marathon for 100 days straght. 

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MoJo Rising

May 23rd, 2015 at 10:43 AM ^

AFter spending 22 trillion to fight poverty and have nothing to show for it, this is a good idea to bring attention that we need to rethink how government programs have actually made the problem worse than helping it. 

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EGD

May 23rd, 2015 at 11:19 AM ^

No, most of the government poverty-relief programs have functioned quite well. The problem is, they have been badly de-funded. For instance, HUD's budget now is about 20% of what it was in the early 1980s--so now we have massive shortages of affordable housing, and the old projects that do exist are crumbling due to deferred maintenance. Similar stories can be told around health care, welfare programs, and all other aspects of the poverty infrastructure.

Tragically, education--which has historically been the vehicle by which some individuals could exit poverty--is becoming less and less attainable for Americans because we have allowed tuition costs to spiral out of control, while allowing students loans to become back-breaking debt traps for significant numbers of students. If that's ever going to get fixed, it's going to require the government to fix it.

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NOLA Blue

May 23rd, 2015 at 11:45 AM ^

Hmmm.... Looks like half of a political conversation was removed.  Is this 'The Michigan Difference' we so proudly boast of?  I understand a sports blog banning political speak.  Having one sided political discourse is another entity entirely.

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NOLA Blue

May 23rd, 2015 at 2:36 PM ^

Reduce argument to a non-argued point ('someone suffering') + make assumption that anyone who disagrees with you is lacking life experience ('clearly you've never...') + name-calling ('asshole') = proof of the art of discourse vanishing before our eyes.  You really are not displaying a knack for improving the public good through discussion, and have just proven why a sports blog should not be a realm of political discussion while simultaneously trying to villify (perceived) opponents as opposed to engage them.

Best part of your aggressive response?  I didn't even engage in an argument about poverty.

But hey, Go Blue.

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julesh

May 23rd, 2015 at 2:51 PM ^

Your assumption is almost certainly wrong. If the mods had been removing anything the above comment would have been removed, too. Instead it's someone who has been banned, but their comments still show up on mobile. This is the case for a number of posters, for whatever reason.

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Kenny Loggins

May 23rd, 2015 at 11:23 AM ^

sounds like an awesome cause, but i always wonder what these kinds of things accomplish. we always hear about person x is doing y for z; is it purely for awareness? is the general populous not in agreement poverty is terrible and a major problem in the world?

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jdon

May 23rd, 2015 at 12:23 PM ^

we are a generation of 'awareness' and 'benefits' that can engage millions of people for a couple days at a time.  Sadly, most of us are content (my self included) to donate some cash and move on with our lives...

For issues like poverty I think peopple could do more donating time and energy to their local church or foodbank than they can in cash... however, we all have time constraints...

jdon

 

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taistreetsmyhero

May 23rd, 2015 at 1:09 PM ^

is the most any one person can be reasonably expected to do (and is unfortunately way more than what most people actually do). Politics runs our lives whether we like it or not, and the only way to bring about reform is through active participation. Some better participation in both local and national government would go a long long way in helping curb these essential problems we face.

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DonAZ

May 23rd, 2015 at 2:40 PM ^

Money donated is used to leverage the existing organization's infrastructure.  Sometimes they need arms and legs, but more often they need money to fund the operations.

(I have spoken to leaders of community outreach charities ... they would never turn away interested volunteers ... but often more energy is spent directing the volunteers than is spent serving the needy.  If you've ever tried to coordinate a group of new volunteers, you'll know what I'm getting at there.)

However, if an organization states they need volunteers, then volunteering is a very good way to become personally involved.  The multiplier effect there comes from more people speaking passionately about the cause ... which stirs others to get involved and/or contribute.

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jabberwock

May 24th, 2015 at 9:42 AM ^

but it also hinges on the level of specialization & complexity involved.

If you need 200 fruit trees dug in the ground, 25 skill-less friends/neighbors/volunteers donating 4 hours will work out great.

If you need a small barn built, I'd prefer those 25 people all just chip in the $ for a couple skilled carpenters to help me for the day.

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Victor Valiant

May 23rd, 2015 at 3:15 PM ^

jdon, I think the phrase you are looking for is, "think globally, act locally," and I wholeheartedly agree. We live in an age now where "showing" you care has taken the place of actually caring. That's why you check facebook and you see parents wishing their 2 year old happy birthday in their status. Of course the 2 year old doesn't have facebook and can't read, but at least that parent is "showing" their friends they care. The same thing happens on every social media platform. People tweet, post, etc...about a cause that caught their eye that day, but rarely do they devote significant time or money to the cause. Positive social feedback is their reward, not the esteem of actually making a difference. 

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