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Carry the Load bike riders honor fallen heroes

Originally published in

The Chronicle Vol. 141

May 3, 2023

WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.

A small trail of bicycle riders could be seen cruising through St. Helens April 28,

The riders represent the organization called Carry the Load, which honors sacrifices made by the military, veterans, first responders, and their families.

The Carry the Load representatives said they are trying to restore the meaning of Memorial Day with a monthlong series of marches, rallies, and fundraising events around the nation.

Carry the Load began its West Coast Route in Seattle April 27 and made its way to and through St. Helens, April 28. Three cyclists started the day at the Columbia River Fire & Rescue station at 105 S. 12th St. and carried a flag on a 25-mile bike ride down to Portland as part of their relay.

Carry the Load West Coast route facilitator David Lindsey said the group started in Seattle with approximately 200 to 250 walkers participating.

“And from there went to Tahoma National Cemetery, probably had five or six Gold Star families come out,” he said. “We’re the first relay to kick off what we call Memorial May because we try to take the whole month of May and do our due diligence to recognize the families that have lost loved ones, whether it’s in service to the country or the communities they serve as first responders.”

After the cyclists arrived at the La Quinta Inn rendezvous in Portland to get water and regroup, the relay continued with a march to Portland Fire and Rescue Station 21. The trek started in Washington state and will take 32

days and stretch 4,400 miles. The marchers will go through Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and end in Texas.

As part of the Memorial May Campaign, five separate relays will see movement participants travel through all 48 mainland states across 20,000 miles, culminating in a large march in Dallas, Texas, where each group will come together on Memorial Day. There are four other relays besides the West Coast route: an East Coast Route, a Midwest Route, a New England Route, and a Mountain States Route.

Memorial May culminates in the Dallas Memorial March at the historic Katy Trail, where they will walk for 20 hours or 20 minutes.

The two-day event sees big participation numbers; Lindsey said around 25,000

people attended the event last year. When they aren’t marching, the group lives out of a tour bus with 11 occupants; nine marchers and two drivers. The marchers take turns taking the legs of the relay on. Marchers will take shifts marching that last about two hours, and they rotate those who are walking with those resting on the bus. Lindsey said they usually call it a day at about 9 or 10 p.m. and drive on the bus to the next stop they’ll be marching from.

The three cyclists spoke with the Chronicle about what it is they are marching for under a sunny Portland sky at the rest point. Ryan and Jim Moor, a father-son duo, took the 25-mile ride and are locals to the Battle Ground, Vancouver area. They are participating in the

local leg as Carry the Load came through town.

“I’m a supporter of all of our vets and everyone that served because we have a lot of freedoms that we get to partake in and enjoy every day,” Ryan Moor said. “So anytime that we can help, we’re helping.”

Tom Wendling, a 67-yearold retired policeman, firefighter, and paramedic, is one of the folks who will be there every step of the way as the West Coast Carry the Load movement makes its way to Dallas, and he was the third cyclist who set out from St. Helens. Along the route, Wendling has reached out to towns along their route so he can honor service members from the city who have died in the line of duty.

“Yesterday, I rode out for a Kent, Washington police officer, Diego Moreno, who

was killed up there, so I rode for him,” Wendling said.

“I’ve reached out ahead of time to every city along the way to see if I can carry for somebody who’s died in the line of duty.”

Wendling has participated in the Carry the Load project before; he was on the West Coast relay in 2019 and took part in the Midwest relay in 2022. While there is a national movement going on, Wendling said the movement’s local impacts are powerful. For Wendling, remembering those who have made the ultimate sacrifice during their service is his motivation.

“For me, the impact locally is the most important thing. For myself, to reach out for police officers or firefighters, who died in the line of duty, and to let them know that somebody still cares,

Student Council recognized with Gold Council Award

Originally published in

The Chief Vol. 131

May 5, 2023

STAFF REPORT

Country Media, Inc.

Clatskanie Middle/High School (CMHS) is one of 22 high schools and four middle schools in the state receiving recognition as a high achieving leadership program.

CMHS has receive a Gold Council Award by the Oregon Association of Student Councils (OASC).

The award, sponsored by OASC, sets high standards for student councils and leadership programs, and honors them if they can reach or exceed these goals.

How the leadership programs work

The leadership programs begin by setting goals in the fall and actively participate in leadership activities and events throughout the year.

In order to receive the award, programs must create and encourage activities that promote inclusivity among all students at the school and provide a series of events that include a variety of different areas/ disciplines in the school. Along with involvement in the school, they must also demonstrate that they are gaining valuable leadership and professional skills that they can take with them outside of school.

“One of the most important lessons we’ve learned supporting our youth leaders is that leadership is not an exclusive attribute–

our student leaders are in every corner of Oregon’s schools,” OASC Executive Director Miles Palacios said. “They directly affect the climate and culture of their schools, often extend -

ing their influence into the community and beyond. The programs awarded this level of recognition have exhibited how their student leaders show an incredible level of commitment to servant leadership. They have included their peers in school activities, developed and implemented impactful events for their community, and maintained a positive and creative approach to improving their school environment.”

About the Oregon Association of Student Councils

The OASC founded in 1949 and sponsored by The Coalition of Oregon School Administrators (COSA) and the Oregon Association of Secondary School Administrators (OASSA).

they’re family,” Wendling said. “Because this is what this is all about. Not letting their names leave the lips of their loved ones. Because they say you always die twice, once when you actually die, and once when your name leaves the lips of your loved ones, and we don’t want that to happen.”

Carry The Load began with a Dallas Memorial March at White Rock Lake in Dallas for 20 hours and 11 minutes with 400 participants and raising nearly $50,000 on Memorial Day, according to their website. It has grown into a national movement that sees participants from around the nation come together to restore the original purpose of Memorial Day.

“We’re just trying to restore Memorial Day to what it should be,” Lindsey said. “You know, a lot of people, they go to the lake, they go out and barbecue and stuff, and we’re not criticizing any of that, but you know, we just want people to take a moment, say a silent prayer, take a moment of silence, or heck raise your beer glass, and just remember those people that what Memorial Day is about.”

For more information, see the Carry the Load website at https://participate. carrytheload.org/site/TR?fr_ id=1880&pg=entry.

Below is a list of WHERE to pick up a FREE copy of the print edition of the News-Advertiser. Also available every week at: thechronicleonline. com and at thechiefnews.com

The nonprofit serves middle and high school students and advisers from around the state. They provide conferences, workshops, online newsletters and summer leadership camps designed to heighten student leadership development and improve school culture.

In the last few years, OASC has also added a Capitol Ambassador program and has begun organizing with affinity groups. The association is guided by their mission statement: Committed to leadership development with a vision for service, involvement and action.

The award to Clatskanie Middle/High School was presented during the OASC Spring Leadership Conference May 1.

Kelli Nicholson / Country Media, Inc.

Carry the Load bike riders rolling through St. Helens.

Courtesy photo

The award, sponsored by the Oregon Association of Student Councils (OASC), sets high standards for student councils and leadership programs, and honors them if they can reach or exceed these goals.

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