Community Corner

Couple Rides Into Rochester Hills to Benefit Leader Dogs

Mark and Debbie Mansell from Washington are riding through 48 states in 24 days.



Mark and Debbie Mansell took the scenic route to get to Rochester Hills' sprawling Leader Dogs for the Blind campus on Monday.

The Washington couple embarked June 15 on a nationwide motorcycle trek to raise awareness and funds for the charity, hitting 48 states in 24 days. The husband and wife arrived in Rochester Hills on Monday morning, the 10th day of their journey. By Tuesday, the couple will be in Erie, PA.

Mark Mansell said this year's trip is a "thank-you tour" for a coast-to-coast bicycle ride from Portland, OR, to Portland, ME, where he raised more than $100,000 for the charity.

The journey has been grueling, the couple said, with long days on the road and coping with high winds and heavy truck traffic.

On the trip, the couple is stopping at various Lions Club chapters to collect pledges and is selling sponsorship pins, with funds going toward Leader Dogs for the Blind.

While the couple hasn't raised any dogs for the organization, which raises and trains leader dogs for the visually impaired, they say volunteers often hound them to take in a puppy.

"A huge part of this endeavor is puppy-raisers," Mark Mansell said. "Every time I turn around they have Debbie over, trying to convince her she needs a puppy."

Still, Debbie Mansell said, the couple got to name a puppy.

"We named a puppy 'Beamer,' because we're riding BMWs," she said.


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