The Grammy Climate Ride Across America

South Minneapolis resident Donna Minter is riding her recumbent bike 3,200 miles from San Diego, Calif. to Saint Augustine, Fla. this fall. She plans to raise $500,000 for five climate organizations before she’s done. The organizations she’ll be fundraising for are Climate Generation, Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, Third Act, Climate Ride, and Climate STARR.

Minter said, “I’ve set a big, hairy, audacious goal of raising money and awareness for sustainable climate solutions and active transpor-tation. Because I have three grandchildren, I’m calling it the Grammy Ride. When I was growing up, I was deeply influenced by my parents and the way they cared for the earth. Now at 66 years old, I know that for the sake of my grandchildren and everybody else’s, I need to engage with others and directly support those working for climate justice.”  

 

Almost 50 years after she started bike touring, Minter is fulfilling her dream of biking across the country. She got turned on to the sport when she was 18, and took her first week-long bike tour in Florida. She rode from Kansas to California the following summer as part of an organized ride. 

Now she and her best biking friend, Becky Bolander, are taking matters into their own hands. The two of them have done a biking or hiking trip together every year since 1997. For this 12-week adventure, they’ll be riding a route called the Southern Tier created by the Adventure Cycling Association of Missoula, Mont. The route consists of safe, secondary roads with intermittent connections to bike trails. 

Minter said, “We’ve been two women biking on the road together many times before. We’re on the same page when it comes to our perceptions of safety. We’re excited for the people we’ll meet along the way. We’re bringing our camping gear. We may use a bike hosting program from time to time called Warm Showers, or stay in motels, if need be. The non-profits we’re raising money for are reaching out to their members too, so they know we’ll be coming through.” 

While Minter is raising money for climate justice action, Bolander is doing her own fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity in Ottawa County, Ohio, where she lives, and has been a Habitat volunteer for more than 40 years. 

 

There’s a certain culture that gets created on a long trip of any kind, a way of being together with a group or another person without driving each other crazy. In the case of these two old friends, their choice of different bikes helps to define the way they ride.

Minter said, “Usually during the day, we ride about one-quarter mile apart. Whoever’s ahead will stop and wait at every turn. Becky rides up front more often than me, but not always. She rides an upright bike, which is lighter than mine. I ride a recumbent, which is built much lower to the ground. We’re different in other ways, too. Becky listens to podcasts while she’s biking. I like the quiet, and just looking around. The important thing is that we never leave each other behind.”

                                            

Minter is a licensed psychologist who practiced clinical neuropsychology for more than 25 years in outpatient, inpatient, and educational settings. In 2010, she founded Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute to teach trauma-informed, restorative justice-focused strategies for racial healing and reconciliation. Before retiring from MN Peacebuilding in June 2023, she trained over 16,000 people from community organizations, local, state, tribal, and federal government.

She said, “When people ask me what I’m going to do now, I tell them I want to become a professional athlete.” 

Somehow the word retirement doesn’t quite fit what Minter is doing. Borrowing from retired Star Tribune reporter Jackie Crosby, she prefers the word “rewirement." Minter wants to stay actively engaged in community work as she enters the last third of her life. A big part of her cross-country itinerary will be asking people she meets how climate change has impacted them personally. With those who give their permission, she’ll record their conversations and post them on social media to share with others. Follow her on Facebook @grammyride. 

 

The Grammy Ride will happen Sept. 1-Nov. 23, 2024. One hundred percent of contributions will go to toward Minter’s goal of supporting climate justice action. She is covering all of her own personal expenses. Tax-deductible donations can be made directly to the fundraising campaign by googling Grammy Climate Ride Across America. 

Contact Donna Minter at grammyride@gmail.com with any questions, or with fundraising ideas.

Minter said, “While I will happily accept large donations, I believe that there are at least 50,000 people in Minnesota and the rest of the United States who will give $10 or more to help achieve my audacious fundraising goal.”