Raising awareness takes a little imagination

There's one sure way to definitely tell when summer hits the Friendly City.
Warm weather brings a reoccurring seasonal phenomena to Trans-Canada Highway communities such as Moose Jaw - Canadians flocking from one end of the country to the other (usually bicycling) in order to raise awareness and funds for various causes.
Part of me appreciates the efforts of these individuals, travelling from Vancouver to St. John's (or vice versa) and spreading awareness of cancer, diabetes, animal rights, poverty, better highways or whatever the cause may be.
However, the reporter in me tends to get a little bored with what seemed last summer, at least, to be an unending assembly line of bicyclers passing through the Moose Jaw, telling almost identical stories of their separate treks. As a result, I can't remember 90 per cent of those people I interviewed, nor the charities for which they travelled.
Granted, I have met some interesting exceptions to this general rule. For example, last autumn a homeless man (Kerry Pakarinen) pushed a shopping cart from B.C. to Ontario, raising awareness about homelessness. Recently, a young Ottawa man (Philip Schleihauf) passed through Moose Jaw on his unicycle, heading across the nation to raise money and awareness to help child soldiers in Uganda.
For the most part though, last summer I seemed to cover story after story after story of people bicycling across the country and I'm afraid it's just not that interesting an endeavour to anyone besides the person actually biking.
It's kind of like stories of people who climb Mount Everest - who cares anymore? So many wealthy adventure seekers have reached the highest summit now that there's an entire industry in that region just getting people to the top.
The problem with someone biking across Canada for awareness is that it has become clichÉ. Whatever worthy cause a biker might be riding for is bound to get lost within the multitude of near identical long-distance projects.
The only cross-country awareness campaigns I remember are the bizarre ones. So why can't other Canadians learn from such successful campaigns, copy them and do something unique as well.
I suppose it's impossible to ever organize a cross-Canada campaign that so captured Canadians' imaginations as did Terry Fox's Journey of Hope against cancer. It's tough to imagine many things harder and more original than running across the country on one leg. However, that's no reason the rest of you campaign seekers shouldn't try.
For example, I imagine nobody would forget if someone performed the classic dance move known as "The Worm" from one end of Canada to the other, raising awareness about blood parasites.
Perhaps someone could walk along the Trans-Canada Highway, dragging the carcass of a baby sperm whale in order to raise awareness about the dangers conventional net fishing imposes on marine mammals.
Maybe someone could just add a little pizzazz to their otherwise boring bicycling campaign, wearing a three-metre high balloon hat on his or her head to promote safe sex, or has that become clichÉ, too.
Someone could always cross the nation, licking the highway the entire time, to raise awareness about idiocy.
Mind you, it's fairly easy for me to sit in my criticizing journalism chair and in front of my authoritative Mac screen, belittling the efforts of others. The truth is, I've never even attempted something as bold and daring as bicycling across Moose Jaw, much less the mountains, plains, shield and whatever other geological treasures/challenges pepper this vast landscape.
Maybe I should stop looking down on the good efforts of others, get some ambition of my own and traverse this great nation riding my high horse, raising hater awareness.

Carter Haydu can be reached at 691-1265.