Avon/Avon Lake Rotary's Allen Porter Rides 600 Miles for Medical Supplies

Avon / Avon Lake Rotary Club member Allen Porter passed through his club’s hometown as part of a 6-day journey to help support MESA.

MESA (Medical Equipment and Supplies Abroad) collects used medical equipment and supplies and transports them to countries in need. The equipment comes from hospitals, dentists, clinics, nursing and rehab facilities, home health agencies and manufacturers. 

The main warehouse, located in Findlay, Ohio was established in 1981 by the Rotary Clubs of Northwest Ohio District 6600. Avon / Avon Lake is the club at the Northeastern corner of the district.

Porter, 70, is being sponsored by the Avon / Avon Lake Rotary Club, who donated $500 for his trip.

This marks Porter’s fourth year of participating in the tour, and for the first time since he’s participated, the tour has taken him and about 20 other bike riders through his club’s backyard in Avon Lake.

“(The tour) is entwined with my Rotary interests,” Porter said, who added he has ridden before for philanthropy. “I joined the Rotary to get to know the community more and was at an area Rotary convention. I saw this booth with an awesome bike shirt.”

That year he joined the MESA Tour.

“The purposed of the trip is to attract attention to the cause and raise funds to ship supplies to Central and South America and Africa,” Porter said.

The ride hopes to raise $65,000, through Rotary and personal contacts. That money is used to ship containers of medical supplies deemed obsolete in the United States.

“We’re motivating clubs to help raise $65,000,” he said. “We’ll get sponsors. We also want to publicize that we will collect obsolete medical equipment, expired supplied like consumables (eye glasses, medical work tables, furniture). They have even obtained pacemakers from deceased individuals.

“They’re invaluable if you need one,” Porter said.

This week’s ride was good except for the wind, he said, and added that in Loudonville, the hills were intense.

“We ride about 60 miles a day,” Porter said of the group, which includes men and women from ages 23-70. “There’s a lot of fellowship. We’ll do 20 miles, take a break, and meet a different Rotary clubs.

“At night, we stay with Rotary Club members at their homes.

On June 15, the riders stopped at the Towne Center Community Campus clubhouse to freshen up and “fuel up” with fresh fruit and liquids provided by the Community Campus. 

Towne Center executive director and Rotary member Jason Coe provided a brief snack of fruit, water and Gatorade while Rotary members were informed about this year’s ride.  

The Avon-Avon lake Rotary was represented by President and Avon Lake School Superintendent Bob Scott, Treasurer Frank Krempasky, and member’s Jason Coe, Bob Murphy, Tom Porter and Linda Rakvic. 

The riders then proceeded up SR 83 to Lake Road and headed West to Lorain. 

Porter said he is looking forward to next year’s ride. Anyone, including non-Rotarians, are welcome to join the ride.

For more information on the MESA Ride, go to MESA in Action. For a detailed recap of the trip, visit the group’s Facebook page.