FREE-WHEELING BENEFACTOR.

Byline: Susan Palmer The Register-Guard

A couple of months ago, Kevin Brandt didn't know anything about the Pearl Buck Center in Eugene. This month he'll ride his bike across the country to raise money for one of the center's key programs.

The sudden generosity comes at a time when Pearl Buck has begun a capital campaign that will allow it to expand its programs in a refurbished building to better serve those with developmental disabilities.

Brandt, a University of Oregon graduate, has been working at Sacred Heart Medical Center as an EKG technician. But he's interested in applying for training as a physician's assistant and wanted to do some volunteer work to enhance his resume.

When he couldn't find a project that fit his interests, he decided to create one. He chose the cross-country bicycle trip as a way to challenge himself. Up until now his longest bike trip has been about 40 miles, he said.

But who would benefit from his fundraising campaign? He contacted the United Way to get information on local nonprofit groups and found himself most drawn to the work at the Pearl Buck Center.

The 53-year-old agency provides a variety of services to people with developmental disabilities and their families.

"Pearl Buck seemed to articulate the kind of values I share," Brandt said.

Brandt was particularly drawn to the family program, which provides free preschool for the children of parents with developmental disabilities, parent mentoring, and case management for families who often struggle to meet their basic needs for employment, housing and food.

The children often have no cognitive disabilities themselves, but without the appropriate stimulation they fail to develop, marketing assistant Catherine Williams said. Some of the children come to preschool at age 2 unable to speak or interact with the other children, she said.

After three years with Pearl Buck's teachers, aides and volunteers, the children are as ready for kindergarten as their peers, Williams said.

Brandt liked the notion of a program helping kids build skills, achieve confidence and surpass expectations, he said.

Today, he'll load up a car with gear and his 1985 Schwinn touring bike. He'll drive to Virginia, then pedal back to Eugene. He knows it won't be easy. He's heard that crossing the Appalachians is tougher than crossing the Rockies. Rumor has it that Kentucky has its share of dangerous dogs running loose. And then there's Kansas and its head winds.

"Each day will have its beauty and its challenges," he said. He'll keep folks posted about his travels on a Web site and invites people to ride along on any leg of the trip they care to. He expects a healthy contingent of locals for the last leg from Eugene to Florence sometime in August.

Those who want to donate can do so through his Web site or at the Pearl Buck Web site, he said.

Brandt's personal effort comes just as Pearl Buck has purchased a 48,000-square-foot building on West First Avenue, double the amount of the space it has at two separate locations.

The agency needs to raise $5.2 million to refurbish the structure to house its vocational, leisure and school programs, Executive Director Ed McDunn said. To date, the campaign has raised $1.3 million, he said.

People often shy away from those with cognitive disabilities, McDunn noted, but when potential donors actually meet the clients, they connect in unexpected ways.

"You won't find a more happy, positive group of people," McDunn said. Many do piecework, such as packaging screws or tea bags for local retailers or manufacturers, and get paid for their labor, which enhances their confidence and self-worth. Others who can't work use the library and leisure programs that add to their quality of life, McDunn said.

The new building will allow Pearl Buck to triple the number of children at the school, and double to triple the number of adults working at the production center. The agency serves about 400. McDunn estimates that there are between 6,000 and 7,000 people with developmental disabilities in Lane County.

"There are many, many more than we can serve," he said.

Few changes will need to be made at the new building to accommodate administration and production. That work should begin in mid- to late summer with a move-in date by December, McDunn said.

The preschool classrooms and recreational facilities will require significant remodeling and will take more time, he said.

He encourages anyone who is interested in donating to call and make arrangements to visit the production facility. Such tours take time but they have impact, McDunn said.

Last week, a retired couple came through with their adult children and were so impressed by what they saw that they upped their planned $25,000 donation to $100,000, an amount their adult children matched.

"That's what we need to do more of," McDunn said.

GIVING TO PEARL BUCK

The bicyclist: Follow Kevin Brandt via his Web site, www.whereskevin.org.

The agency: Learn more about Pearl Buck at www.pearlbuckcenter.com.