SFOneWorld Supporters,

Thanks again for all your help funding the school that will be built in Pakistan with your generous donations. I just received this email from Jennifer Sipes from the Central Asia Institute

Dear Herb,

Greetings from Central Asia Institute (CAI)! It is with great pleasure to inform you that Central Asia Institute has located a site to begin the construction of a new school that you will help establish with your generous donations. It is the Tatrial School, in Neelam Valley, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. We are still waiting for the logistics of the school, but we are expecting about 80 students and 2-3 teachers. Genevieve Chabot, our international program manager, will be traveling to Pakistan in August and September. She will be able to give us an update after that.

The process undertaken to build new schools or improve on existing structures is one that requires an invitation from the local community and 1-4 years of pre-planning with the village elders, tribal chiefs, military commanders, Islamic clerics and government officials influential in the area. CAI is often the only organization (government, international, or local) supporting local initiatives in several of the underserved areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Each project involves local people in all phases: initiation, implementation, and evaluation.

A committee of elders and experts guide these phases to completion. This includes the community matching Central Asia Institute project funds (for skilled labor and materials) with equal amounts of local resources (wood, land, sand, etc.) and sweat equity (free or subsidized labor). Such commitment ensures the project’s viability and long-term success.

Once the school has been completed, furnished and stocked with supplies, CAI remains connected to the people providing support until such time that the village can sustain the school’s costs on its own.

Central Asia Institute's focus is on community-based education programs especially for girls. CAI has established or supports 78 (mostly rural) schools educating over 28,000 students, including 14,000 girls.

Thank you again for your generosity and support to give the gift of education to students a half a world away. Please contact me with any questions.

Best wishes,



Jennifer Sipes

Operations Director

Central Asia Institute

WE DID IT !

SF One World will be building a school in Pakistan!

Thank you all for contributing to Sf One World and your continued support helping to make the building of a school in Pakistan a reality. As of June 1st WE have raised more than $52,000, shattering our fund raising goals. We are now on the Central Asia Institute’s construction calendar and we hope to begin construction sometime in the summer of 2009 or 2010.

Your generous support has not only provided the resources to build this school, but also the financial support to endow the school for at least five years.

When completed this school will help to provide knowledge and hope to some of the poorest and most illiterate people on the planet. Pakistan is a country in crisis and its people are at the epicenter of a sometimes volatile and dynamic political environment. Education will help to stabilize and empower the local population. The children who pass through the walls of the school will improve their ability to think critically and be able to secure a brighter future for their own children.

Thank you for your help and support of SF One World.

Have a great summer.

Sincerely,

Herb Bool

I road for 24 hours!!!

Thank all so very much for your support and encouragement.


The race and the experience were a tremendous success. First it was raining, then it was snowing, and then the weather was perfect. I road for 24 hours except for two quick visits to the RV to warm up and change gear /clothing. The stats: I placed 5th out of 46 riders in my class of male-solo-single speed riders. I road 204 miles. (135+ miles were single track!). I had one crash, one flat tire and I did not run into any cacti ( amazing). I finished the race in 24 hours, 1 minute and 56 seconds. The best part of the race was my pit crew who cheered me on throughout the race. The pit crew consisted of 9 screaming, bell ringing, sign making boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 11. Jack my son was the professional videographer ( I paid him). Ann and three of my oldest friends from LA and the Bay Area rounded out the team. I post the film soon. Thanks again for everything. The experience has been one of the most important things I have ever done and I could not have done it without all of your support.

So what will I be riding?


I purchased a trek 69er specifically to race. As trek states, “The bike is an inverse mullet. It’s party in the front, and all business in the rear”. The 69er has a 29” wheel up front for stability and the ability to roll over most anything. In the rear, it’s a traditional 26” wheel. This rear wheel provides for the quickest acceleration with less rotational mass. The bike is very light, around 23 pounds. Best of all, the bike descends like a peregrine falcon and it climbs like a goat. With the Maverick custom double crown, 100 mm fork up front it soaks up all but the nastiest of trails. If I have problem going the distance during my 24-hour race it will not be because of the bike. It’s a ripper!

Why ride a bike for 24 hours?

I like to ride bikes and teach young people about science. I have a great job. Everyday is different and I get to interact with so many people that occasionally it makes me a bit dizzy. Cycling helps me find my center. Think of it like yoga on wheels. Well, not exactly.... Cycling has been a passion of mine since I was a boy growing up in Scottsdale, Arizona. Cycling keeps me young at heart (quite literally), of course healthy and in my wife's eyes out of trouble. Outside of my family and teaching, two wheels are my life. I have two motorcycles and twelve bikes hanging in my garage. I embrace and follow a particular brand of cycling coined "Gonzo-cycling”: a type of adrenaline fueled, fast and erratic style of riding where you (try) pass anything in front of you. Is it hard to do? Yes! That's why racing is so much fun. The front of the pack features mostly gonzo-cyclists. When I race/raced motorcycles it seemed like they were all followers of this gonzo religion. Most typically,

In the late 80’s on my mountain bike I passed a 6 point buck (male deer with six pointy antlers) in a full blown gallop on railroad grade on the side of Mt. Tam. Wow. I remember that like it was yesterday. I have overtaken flying bat’s on the Matt Davis trail on night rides. I have even forced rabbits and coyotes to run for cover while rambling around the woods late in the night in the county of Marin. I think the seeds of wanting to ride “gonzo-style” was sown early on in my brief stint as a bike messenger working for Arrow messenger services here in San Francisco. Some people think of “gonzo-cycling” as a cross between Hunter S. Thompson and Lance Armstrong. They might not be too far off. Twenty four hours is longer than I have ever ridden before and it just might tame the gonzo inside of me. Thanks for your support.

January update

SF One World
24 Hours to make a difference


I would sincerely like to thank all the SFDS families, friends and individuals who have so generously contributed to the Central Asian Institute. As of today I have raised nearly $20,000 towards my goal of $50,000. If you have not already donated to the Central Asian Institute you can donate online by writing “SF ONE WORLD” in the comment line, on the donation link at: http://www.ikat.org/ or you can print out a pledge form linked to this blog. The pledge form can be sent to my attention at SFDS with a check made out to the Central Asian Institute. Thanks again for all your support.

Many of you may already know as part of the summer reading curriculum for the SFDS faculty I read the book, Three Cups of Tea. It’s a wonderful and inspiring book that has been on the New York Times bestseller list for many months. The book, and its author Greg Mortenson are obviously very inspirational to me. Greg Mortenson founded the Central Asian Institute in 1996 to build schools (primarily for girls) in the remote mountain regions of central Asia. Last fall, I decided to build a school through the Central Asian Institute.

My passion for cycling and inspiration to build a school, led me to enter a 24-hour bike race. The race, “24 hours in the old pueblo” is located just outside of Tucson, Arizona. I am entering this 24-hour race as a “solo” competitor, racing on a single speed (bike with one gear) mountain bike. Yes, I fully admit it’s a crazy notion to race in a 24-hour event. I am hoping this commitment will help inspire friends, family and individuals to contribute to this very worthy cause. I am using this race to raise the $50,000 it will cost to build a school and endow it for five years. It's a very ambitious goal, but I know I will be able to reach it with everyone’s help. Promoting education and literacy in one of the poorest and most volatile countries in the world is important work. Many of these regions in Pakistan and Afghanistan that the schools are being built have a literacy rate of less than 5%! The options for young people are few. Fundamentalism in the region is on the rise. Pakistan is a country in crises. Educational institutions are the most important stabilizing force in a developing country. Our actions really will make a difference in this part of the world.

My training has been going well. I feel I will be up for the challenge come February 16th. This past weekend was an endurance smorgasbord. Friday night, I ran on Mount Tamalpias for over two hours on some of the most amazing trails in North America. On Saturday morning, I road out to the end of every accessible pier from Mill Valley to just north of the San Francisco International airport. My goal was to spend at least eight hours in the saddle, riding fast flat miles and ride over, through and around urban obstacles. Done. Sunday, I woke up early for a swim and then I road to camp Tamarancho with the Tamalpais High School Mountain bike team. I kept most of the varsity riders out of breath and the fastest seniors within my sights. They are an inspiring group of young cross county riders.
I am so lucky to have these amazing experiences. Thanks again for your help.

Sincerely,

Herb Bool