Teen rides for charity

Scotty Parker, 13, stopped in Tucumcari Thursday on his way across the country to raise money for a cause he has been helping with since he was 7 years old.

Scotty pedaled into town aboard a lightweight road bicycle, accompanied by bike-riding family, friends and local cyclists, and escorted by Tucumcari police and Quay County sheriff's deputies.

He started June 8 on the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, California, on his route to North Charleston, South Carolina, on a journey called "Scotty's Ride for Water."

Scotty hopes in eight weeks to pedal the whole 3,270 miles to raise $500,000 for the Water Mission, an international Christian charity that brings clean water to impoverished communities worldwide.

The water mission operates in 53 countries in South and Central America, Southeast Asia and Africa to bring clean water to often remote communities that have suffered the effects of consuming and using unclean water. The charity has also helped find and distribute clean water in the U.S. after natural disasters, including recent hurricanes in Florida and 2005's Hurricane Katrina that devastated New Orleans.

Scotty, who is from Charleston, South Carolina, is getting help from his dad, Steve, mom, Pam, and sisters, Lily, 9, and Emmylou, 5, as well as other supporters, including a representative of water mission.

Even Lily said she is enjoying the traveling and watching Scotty's progress.

"We're very proud of him," she said.

As he sat in an aluminum lawn chair at Tucumcari's Blue Swallow Motel Thursday, Scotty talked about seeing scenes of children drinking muddy water in Uganda when he was 7 years old.

"It hurt my heart," he said. "They didn't have clean water like me."

Every 21 seconds, he said, someone dies from a water-borne illness.

So he vowed to do something about it.

For his eighth birthday, he asked for donations to the Water Mission for his birthday and raised $600, according to his dad, Steve.

Two years ago, Scotty cycled 220 miles across South Carolina with his dad and pulled down $70,000 in donations to help the mission.

His goal of $500,000 with his cross-country ride is far from a pipe dream. Two anonymous donors are matching donations up to $100,000 each, according to the scottysride website.

When donations and matches are totaled up, Steve Parker said, "we're going to reach that goal easily."

Since the family is covering expenses for the ride, Steve said, all of the donated funds will go to the Water Mission.

Scotty trained for this cross-country trek by clocking 7,000 miles, taking long rides and climbing many hills to build strength, Steve said.

Along the way, Scotty participated in last year's Hincapie Gran Fondo, an 80-mile ride through the mountains on the South Carolina-North Carolina border.

He also rode in the Assault on Mount Mitchell, a challenge that sends riders over 102 miles and up 11,000 feet in one day on a route that gets steeper the higher it goes, Scotty said.

Kyle Whitcroft, special events planner for the water mission, said nearly 2 billion people remain without safe drinking water worldwide.

"Scotty brings a lot of excitement" to the Water Mission's fundraising efforts, Whitcroft said. "Scotty shows that even a 13-year-old can be an influence."

"As parents, we shouldn't dismiss our kids. God can use little people to change the world if adults pay attention," said Steve Parker.

People wishing to donate to Scotty's Ride for Water and track Scotty's progress can visit scottysride.com.