It’s time for another round of roadies. Straight up and on ice, they’re representing that cold part of America that most of us west coasters fear. They’ll each be rolling out with their own tricked-out zamboni, charging across their region like the ice skating rinks that they are. The staff is furiously crocheting hats and knitting scarves because (1) it’s pretty darn cold out there and (2) we’re nervous to watch our newest best friends leave. They’ve become sparks of joy in the IC office, and you’ll soon know why.

Team: GREAT LAKES

The codename for this tour is “Operation Deep Freeze� for obvious reasons, and we thought it would be a great experiment to see what would happen if we threw a Californian and a Texan into the icy depths of the Great Lakes. Neither of them really enjoys the cold, so we apologize beforehand if they come off a bit grumpy. And isn’t there supposed to be four people per team? Welp, for now it’s just the gruesome twosome…so here it goes.

Bachelor #1: John “The Ninja� Rowett. He enjoys short skips on the beach, braiding hair, screaming music, penguins, and Disney movies. He dislikes pirates, or anything pirate-esque. This is his second tour of duty as a roadie. Highlights from last year include riding a bull and stealing a concrete deer in Texas. This time around, he’s looking forward to ice fishing and not being able to feel his toes.

Bachelorette #1: Katie “Waco� Burch. She likes dancing like no one’s watching, loud music, buck teeth, snorting (while laughing), and whiskers on kittens. She dislikes spiders, bugs, insects, creepy crawlies, jeeper’s creepers, and cooties. Last year, she hardcore stalked the Texas team and became the 5th wheel for a month of the tour. This time around, she’s looking forward to avoiding awkwardness by being an official roadie.

Combined, these two make for a fierce tornado of dance moves. So if you’ve got a tiny dancer in your heart, you got a friend in them. If you like to dance, call and book a screening! If you don’t…call anyway (they’re desperate). That means you, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee…

For bachelor #1, send your fan mail to jrowett@invisiblechildren.com
For bachelorette #1, send your fan mail to kburch@invisiblechildren.com

Team: MIDDLE AMERICA

And now, coming to you straight from the depths of the chill office on the left, is the team preparing to dominate the Heartland. They come from diverse backgrounds – all personalities different but all hearts the same. They are united with one dream: to play in as much snow as they possibly can.

Starting off, we have Alicia Fore. Alicia is a native to the San Diego region. She has never lived anywhere outside of California, though she has spent time traveling around the country and the world. Whether sailing or just relaxing on the beach, there is no place she would rather be than by the ocean (Oh, the irony of being in the middle of the country for three and a half months!). Alicia loves Mexican food, especially California Burritos. She is an International Security and Conflict Resolution major at San Diego State University. After seeing Invisible Children, she came to the offices here in San Diego and bugged them until they finally put her to work. When the opportunity came to be a Roadie, she knew that was what she had to do.

Second, bringing a little bit of southern sass to the team, is Claire Singleton. Claire hails from Memphis, the land of the delta blues, and try as she may, she just can’t manage to hide that Tennessee drawl. Claire recently graduated from Rhodes College with a major in Spanish and a minor in French, and came out to San Diego planning to take the year off before entering grad school. Invisible Children, however, has a knack for turning people’s lives upside down, so Claire doesn’t claim any future plans at the moment other than to live out her life to the fullest! Claire’s not-so-secret obsessions are world travel, spicy food, good books, board games, and dark chocolate. She is bursting at the seams with excitement about her upcoming IC road-trip adventure and can’t wait to drive the glorious highways of Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas to see more cow-filled pastures than she’s imagined even in her wildest of dreams.

Coming up third is Chris Loper. Chris was born and raised in the heartland state of Oklahoma; in fact, he had never lived outside a three mile radius until he moved to San Diego. He attended the University of Central Oklahoma for 4 years, changing his major several times and finally deciding on Interpersonal Communication (but before he could graduate, he decided that staying in school was not for him). He is a lover of many different genres of music…at any time you might find the soft jazz of Miles Davis or the grinding guitar rifts of Rancid flowing through his speakers. Invisible Children wrecked his life…in a good way. And Invisible Children is where he knows he is supposed to be.

And now for the last, but most certainly not least, team member…Josh Parolin. Josh is what many would consider a man of mystery. The other three members have yet to meet this marvel of a man, for he is been living in Uganda for the last 6 months. He was born in Kansas City, and during his days in college was blessed with the nickname “Walrus.� Josh is a technological genius: there is nothing that has wires that he has not been able to fix. He is currently working with the ReNUH Project in Northern Uganda that is helping restore the hospitals in the region. His dream is to graduate with a degree in Political Science and begin changing the world from the government side. Josh is excited to be a Roadie for Middle America, but at the same time is sad that he has not had the opportunity to be with the rest of his members and help book the tour in San Diego. Josh’s heart is in Uganda and in making a difference in the lives of the Acholi…becoming a Roadie was what he had to do.

Team Middle America is coming to Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri. They have more than 60 screenings booked, but they still have spots open. Give them a call today and let the story of Invisible Children come to your high school, your college, your church, your favorite coffee shop. This story, this movement…it is changing lives!

For Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Iowa contact Chris Loper at cloper@invisiblechildren.com
For Arkansas and Kansas contact Alicia Fore at afore@invisiblechildren.com
For Minnesota and Missouri contact Claire Singleton at csingleton@invisiblechildren.com