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Riders
Patrick McGovern
 Pat, age 63, is from the Oakland diocese in California. Pat and his wife Barbara have been members of St. Isidore Parish since 1994. They have two married daughters and four grandchildren living in CT and MN.
Why is Pat participating?
I am participating in the CCHD sponsored Brake the Cycle bike tour because I have a growing appreciation of the fundamental link between getting people educated and aware of needs and then helping those same people to grow and strengthen their personal link between faith and action. This conviction is based on our experience in our parish. Here are two examples: Our awareness or education of the breadth and depth of poverty in our area has been informal. Through our parish we have become involved with just two of the groups or organizations which are helping us to reach across the gap between our most impoverished and most affluent neighbors. With our St. Mary’s center Dinner Group which prepares and serves meals in an impoverished Oakland neighborhood we see firsthand a widening circle of people who are willing to help, just by becoming aware of the need. We further see families educating or raising awareness (in this case of poverty) in their children by taking them to St. Mary’s, then, helping them to respond by getting them involved in the food preparations and service. Then, through an involvement with our parish St Vincent DePaul group we are being constantly made aware of the depth and breadth of need. There is in our own affluent parish and surrounding Contra Costa county. With funds so generously donated by our parish community, our St. Vincent De Paul chapter can respond to the immediate short term needs of those who come to us. Because of the growing awareness of the need for more extended support to clients a subgroup of our St. Vincent chapter, I have organized the “Adopt a Family Program.” This group with the support of “Family Team Members” is dedicated to getting the client through the immediate crisis to a state of being “Back on their Feet.” What a great example of people responding to a need that they become aware of and “Widening the circle” by getting more people involved to help them respond.
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| Learn more at PovertyUSA.org |
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Route & Schedule 
