OUR Current Adventure
Bayou to Keys — For Mo
We’re currently riding from New Orleans to the Florida Keys. This ride isn’t about distance or scenery. It’s about showing up for someone we care about in a real way, and doing whatever we can to help.
This ride is for our friend Mo.
Mo is the kind of person you want in your life. He shows up. He brings good energy. He’s steady, reliable, and the type of friend who makes things better just by being there. Right now, he’s in a situation he didn’t choose, and it’s one that’s affecting every part of his life.
Mo has C3 Glomerulonephritis (C3GN), a rare disease that damages the kidneys. It has progressed to the point where he now needs a transplant.
Mo needs a kidney. Now.
Why we’re doing this
Oliver The Road has always been about movement; physically, mentally, and emotionally. It’s about getting out of your head, back into your body, and using effort as a way to move through difficult things.
That idea is easy to talk about when things are abstract. It’s different when someone you know is going through something real, something heavy, something that doesn’t have an easy solution.
This ride isn’t symbolic. It’s us doing something tangible to support someone we care about, and trying to push his story as far as we possibly can.
Oliver’s own kidney transplant is part of why this mission exists in the first place. We know how deeply it can affect a person, and how much it can ask of the people around them. That’s why this ride is so personal.
The crew
This ride is being carried by four of us: Erik, Adrian, Oliver, and Ant.
But this only works if it extends beyond us. The outcome here won’t be determined by how far we ride. It will be determined by how far this story reaches, and how many people decide to step in and help.
You don’t need to be on a bike to be part of this. If you’re reading this, you’re already in it.
What’s actually at stake
This isn’t just about a diagnosis. It’s about everything that comes with it: the medical costs, the uncertainty, the time away from normal life, the emotional weight, and the stress it puts on a family trying to keep moving while something this serious hangs over everything.
At the center of all of it is one simple reality: Mo needs a kidney transplant.
We want this page to make that clear. Yes, financial support matters. Yes, getting eyes on this matters. But bigger than anything else, the truth is simple: Mo needs a kidney, and we are trying to help however we can.
How you can help
Donate
The most direct way to help is to contribute to Mo’s transplant fund. These funds go toward medical care, living expenses, and helping him and his family stay afloat during this process.
Donate to Mo’s Kidney Transplant Journey
Get merch
We’ve also created Bayou to Keys merchandise tied to this ride. Every purchase helps support the effort, keeps attention on Mo’s story, and gives people another concrete way to be part of this.
Share this
This part matters more than people think. The right person seeing this could make a real difference. Even if you can’t donate, sharing this page still helps move it forward.
Send it to someone. Post it. Drop it in a group chat. Put it in front of people. The more eyes on Mo’s story, the better the chance it reaches someone who can help in a meaningful way.
About kidney donation
Many people don’t realize that you do not have to be a perfect match to be part of a kidney donation process. There are systems in place that allow donors to still help, even if they are not directly compatible.
If this is something you’ve ever considered, even briefly, it’s worth learning more. Sometimes simply taking the first step and getting informed can open a door you didn’t know was there.
Learn about living kidney donation
If you only take one thing from this
Mo needs a kidney. We’re doing everything we can to support him, and we’re asking you to be part of that in whatever way you can — by donating, by sharing this page, by buying merch, or by learning more about what kidney donation can look like.
Thank you
If you’ve donated, shared, or taken the time to read this, thank you. It matters more than you probably realize.
We’re going to keep pushing this forward.
For Mo.
— Erik, Adrian, Oliver, Ant
Quick Links
OUR Last Adventure
“If someone told me 4 years ago I would be riding across Route 66 I would have sat back down in my dialysis chair and went back to sleep.”
Oliver The Road on Route 66
Today, we are thrilled to announce the launch of OLIVER THE ROAD, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting health, wellness, and self-love through movement. Our mission is to help more people live happier and healthier lives, and we believe that by getting people moving, we can make a significant impact in achieving this goal.
August 11, 2023, Oliver Flores, Erik Bragg, David Reyes, Anthony Alagna, Adrian Andrada, Seu Trinh, and Marque “Shrimpdaddy” Cox will embark on our third charity ride to serve those in need.
The OLIVER THE ROAD crew is going to ride bicycles over 2,400 miles along the iconic & historic Route 66, from Los Angeles to Chicago, to raise awareness and donations for The Airow Project.
The Airow Project is a non-profit organization in Washington State, serving individuals with disabilities through movement(biking, hiking, snowboarding, etc). A portion of the proceeds from this ride will support their year-round programming and work toward buying some handbikes.
As the founder and chairman of the board for OLIVER THE ROAD, this year is also really close to my heart because I celebrated my 50th birthday and it’s the 4th anniversary of receiving my new kidney.
If someone told me 4 years ago I would be riding across Route 66 in 35 days I would have just sat back down in my dialysis chair and gone back to sleep. Through movement (cycling) and a clean diet, this dream is becoming our reality.
I’m hoping this ride will inspire others to get up, move and make a difference in their own life.
Thank you!
Oliver Flores
OLIVER THE ROAD
Founder & Chairman of the Board
previous adventures
Fog To Smog
We’ve all lost people we love to mental illness. Suicide is a preventable death, but to actually prevent it, we all need to do more to learn and address the issues surrounding it’s roots. On April 16th 2022, a group of skateboarders will ride their bicycles from The Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, CA) to The Queen Mary (Long Beach, CA). This 9-day journey will log 488 miles down the Pacific Coast in a common mission to create awareness around the serious issues surrounding mental heath. We’ll be raising money through the 501 (c)(3) organization Bridge To Skate to donate to our friends from The Ben Raemers Foundation. Their main goal is to enable the skateboarding community to develop the skills and tools needed to support each other and to understand and address mental health.
- 500 + miles
- 22,508 ft elevation, We could have rode up Mount Kilimanjaro
- Sold 50 boards
- Raised over $9,000 for the Ben Raemer’s Foundation
About The Ben Raemers Foundation
https://thebenraemersfoundation.com/
In May 2019, at the age of 28, professional skateboarder Ben Raemers took his own life. The devastation and loss of such a beautifully contagious human being rippled across the world. Through seeing the sadness left behind and the desire from the community to support an ongoing project, The Ben Raemers Foundation was formed.
The overall aim of the foundation is to provide a way to maintain Ben’s legacy and help prevent anymore loss to suicide. Our aims are to enable the skateboarding community to have opportunities to develop the skills and tools needed to support each other to understand and address mental health. Suicide is a preventable death, so it’s something everyone can work together to do and save lives.
We have been overwhelmed by the support of the community through incredible fundraising events, brand alignments, individual donations and purchasing our merchandise. Due to this the foundation has accomplished some of the initial aims. These includes:
- Creating social media content to raise awareness of mental health issues.
- Making films highlighting skaters’ personal journeys in mental health.
- Delivering suicide prevention training to skate teams and crews, managers, professional skateboarders, photographers and skate shops across the globe.
By creating a platform and safe spaces for people to talk about mental health within the context of the skateboarding world, we are breaking down fears, improving knowledge and changing preconceptions and misgivings around mental health stigma and taboos.
We welcome all ages, genders, and backgrounds to be part of making skateboarding a suicide safe community.
Ben will be remembered by all as a loving son, brother, friend, and skateboarding legend!
We hope to continue his inspiration through our work.
“We’ve all lost people we love to mental illness.
Suicide is a preventable death, but to actually prevent it, we all need to do more to learn and address the issues surrounding it’s roots.”
OUR FIRST ADVENTURE
PHOENIX, AZ —> LONG BEACH, CA
PUSH FOR CHANGE
The bike ride raised over $8k and more importantly it brought awareness to this small nonprofit in Compton, Ca, Bridge To Skate. With the help of the donations and a couple key sponsors, we were able to:
- Repair all three ramps
- Build a new obstacle
- Replace all the skateboards in the Skate Library
All of the used skateboards were donated to The Watts Empowerment Center at Party In The Projects.
How Can I Support?
OLIVER THE ROAD is a nonprofit organization.
All of your donations are 100% tax deductible!