Show The uphill climb for Fourth Street Clinic Casey Halvorsen Contributing Writer On Sept 22 2007 a group of 25 to 30 Salt Lake City residents mounted their road bikes and andset andset andset set out to conquer not one but four consecutive Wasatch Front canyons in a ride that has been dubbed I think I CANyons The cyclists rode for Fourth Street Clinic which provides healthcare for the homeless The of the ride were a group of college students who call themselves Friends of Fourth Street We were just a group of friends who wanted to do something for someone else and make a difference in our community said Joel Welch one of he founders of the Friends of Fourth Street group This group of friends set out in 2005 on an ambitious ride down the California coast beginning at the northernmost end of the state and arriving at their destination in San Diego The following year they rode the Washington Oregon and California coasts starting in Seattle and finishing in San Francisco It was in 2006 on the Washington Oregon ride that we decided to couple our charitable aims with our ambitions to todo todo todo do one epic ride annually said Welt Welch After meeting with many local charitable organizations we pretty much unanimously decided on Fourth Street Clinic Many of the members of Friends of Fourth Street are currently going to school to be doctors or dentists so a charity in the field of health healthcare care seemed a good fi fit t. t Friends of Fourth Street are definitely one of the most enthusiastic and driven volunteer groups we have encountered said Jennifer Hyvonen director of marketing and communications at Fourth Street Clinic The aim of Fourth Street Clinic which has existed since 1988 is to help homeless people get back on their feet by providing medical treatment for conditions that are sometimes completely debilitating for those who suffer themA themA themA them A lot of people become homeless because of chronic or c medical conditions condi said Hyvonen People get sick and they cant can't go to work so they lose their jobs and then lose their homes because they have no income Hyvonen said that the clinic is currently at full capacity which means they are forced to the extremely di task of turning Fundraiser Continued on I Fundraiser for Fourth Continued from A I away about 45 people every day The clinic has one medical director and three physicians' physicians assistants currently on staff The clinic hopes to increase the size of its staff but lacks the funds to do so which makes the need for fundraising fundraising fund- fund r raising ising and the spread of awareness more important than ever This year we wanted to bring the ride closer to home with I I think I 1 CANyons' CANyons t to to coincide with our desire to raise not only funds but local awareness for the Fourth Street Clinic said Welch The I think I CANyons ride is very physically demanding Its It's over vertical feet and spans miles The ride begins with Little Cottonwood Canyon and Big Cottonwood then extends over to Millcreek and Emigration canyons Of the 25 to 30 who entered the ride only seven finished all four canyons and did so amid a torrential downpour of rain The ride started at 7 am a.m. and Scott Barnes was the first to finish at around pm p.m. Most other riders finished around 7 pm p.m. I think its it's fitting that the ride is so rigorous said Welch It symbolizes the difficult climb out of homelessness that many must face to survive The Friends of Fourth Street and the Fourth Street Clinic intend to continue the tradition of the thc I think I 1 CANyons ride asan as asan asan an annual event for many years to come |