-The Clay County Pony Express riders will cover a lot of territory Friday, generating awareness for the fundraising effort for Camp Sunnyside.-

When the Pony Express riders trot and gallop through towns and along county roads throughout Clay County and across the state of Iowa Friday, it will mark the 40th year of the ride that helps raise both awareness and funds for Camp Sunnyside in Des Moines.

Local riders are expected to begin their journey, which will culminate for some in a ceremonial ride to Des Moines and on to Camp Sunnyside, in Everly. The horse party will begin in Everly, ride to Royal then Peterson, Sioux Rapids, Rossie and finally Spencer.

A group will then head to Mallard to take part in the ceremonial state-ride to Ankeny.

Pony Express President, Marlene DuVall, also a volunteer with the campaign, said that the organization takes part in a variety of fundraisers throughout the year, and that the ride itself is more about public awareness. "Although their are some monies coming in from the ride, it's more for public awareness. We ride at Easter because the money goes to an Easter Seals project. They just decided that's when it falls each year."

The network of volunteer riders have been collecting money for Camp Sunnyside since 1968, when "Stub" Johnson, Leo Gray and Wayne Neilson first masterminded the idea to ride "Pony Express style" throughout Northwest Iowa in order to help Iowa children and adults with disabilities. That first ride raised close to $12,000, which was divided between two charitable organizations, one of which was Easter Seals Camp Sunnyside.

Organizers expanded the ride the following year to the entire state.

The Pony Express Riders of Iowa operate under the mission statement: "We ride...that crippled children can walk." Money raised by the group during its annual Easter weekend horse rides across the state benefit Easter Seals Camp Sunnyside in Des Moines, which serves more than 1,200 Iowans with disabilities every summer. In addition to camping and other recreational activities offered at the camp, funds donated to Pony Express Riders throughout the year provide rehabilitation services to farm family members and assist in the loaning of medical equipment to those in need, among other services.

DuVall shared fundraising expectations for the project. "We've kept our goal the last several years at 300,000. We haven't made it for a few years. We've gone over it in the past, but we've kept it at $300,000. It's been average."

With 99 counties in the state, that suggests an average of just over $3,000 per county to generate the funds necessary to meat the goal.

"We don't expect any certain county to raise a certain amount.

We just ask them to do the best that they can and we'll take what we get. Sometimes times are harder in one place than another."

All of the dollars generated through Iowa fundraising are spent at Iowa's Camp Sunnyside.

"That's our purpose. That's what we're out here to do," said DuVall.

Rick Angle, county chairperson for O'Brien County, said that his group was set to ride Thursday within their county, and then head off to Des Moines. Angle said there are many ways that groups can raise funding annually for the Pony Express. "Palo Alto County had Karaoke and an auction in Mallard. They raised $6,000 for it. In O'Brien County, I'm trying to grow it myself from when I took over. We organized different city functions during Hartley's Summer Days and Primghar's Cobblestone Days, we had a hot dog and pop stand to raise money."

Ten different rides coming from different parts of the state this year will meet in the John Deere plant parking lot in Ankeny next to Camp Sunnyside, then symbolically they will all ride onto the grounds together.

Both DuVall and Angle agree, the Easter rides are important to generate awareness about the organization and the mission it serves. "Unfortunately there's still a lot of people in the state who don't know who we are. One of the things to make people understand is you don't have to have a horse or ride a horse to be part of the Pony Express. A lot of people who wouldn't know what to do with the horse can help," said DuVall.

Rick added, "I used to help on the ground and with the trucks, loading and unloading. Standing in the road in the cold collecting money and freezing your butt off."

Although the ride is for awareness, riders and support staff will take any money that anyone should wish to donate along the way. "If they can find a relay rider waiting for the next rider coming along, or if they see somebody stopped, they can approach them with money."

Anyone wishing to contribute funding should go to the website: www.ponyexpressridersofiowa.org or call Camp Sunnyride State Coordinator Carole Bailey.