Last week, I did something wild; I rode across the state of Iowa on a bike. Yes, that’s right, I rode 500 miles over 7 days during RAGBRAI. I have to agree with RAGBRAI co-founder John Karras, “When you bicycle through Iowa, it [is] stunning. Incredible.”
I had driven much of the RAGBRAI 2023 route during my time with Iowa IPL, yet going at a significantly slower speed I was able to more fully enjoy the beauty that was all around me: To marvel at the hundreds of acres of corn swaying in the wind, buffer strips with prairie wildflowers blooming, teaching someone that soybeans are fuzzy at the edge of a field, the peaks and valleys, the rolling hills (my legs are still sore), and rivers flowing. Iowa is stunning.
More incredible were the people along the way: The rural communities who banded together to provide hospitality in their small towns, the churches who came together for joint pie sales, the firemen who provided water, the officers who ensured the route was safe in the heat, and the countless farms in between towns who let us rest in their shade and provided a much needed break. (A huge shout out to the Tama County Cattlemen who made me a special steak on a stick for dinner on Thursday, A.K.A. The toughest day of RAGBRAI.)
Today is Iowa Gives Green, a day of giving to support Iowa’s environment; to support the beauty that is showcased to people from around the world during RAGBRAI, both inside and out; to support climate action that positively impacts our rural communities and can help them thrive; to support our farmers and ranchers who provide nourishment and innovation.
I hope that you consider supporting Iowa IPL through Iowa Gives Green this year. Thanks to some generous donors, we are able to match each gift up to $2,500. By giving an Iowa Gives Green gift, you can double your impact and support for faith-rooted climate action in our state!