Show #223 – December 6, 2014

Guests: Our Bicycle Donation Opportunity Show includes: World Bicycle Relief, Trips for Kids, People for Bikes, and Tours de Cure

As many of us here in the U.S. know, the past week was one of “specialty days”. We experienced Black Friday (which evidently was a bit anemic), Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday.

Not to be left out – we are prepared to throw our handlebars into the ring and offer up a few ideas for charitable giving to bicycle non-profits.

So, this week, we present Bicycle Donation Opportunities. We will be speaking with four different people from four different bicycle non-profits; and, after asking them each the same set of four questions perhaps one of these organizations will “pull at your heartstrings” as you write your “checks for charity” this year.

Our first guest is Ruth-Ann Renaud director of global marketing for World Bicycle Relief. Ruth-Ann just returned from Zambia and is ready to share the work of WBR, including their amazing milestone for 2014, with you.

Our second conversation is with Marilyn Price. Marilyn is the founder and executive director of Trips for Kids, since its inception in 1988 has “opened the world of cycling in the United States, Canada, Israel and Sierra Leone, to over 127,000 at-risk youth. We’ll learn more about the organization, it’s earn a bike program, and how to support one or more of the over 80 chapters operating today.

After 4 ½ years, “People for Bikes” has reached its initial goal of 1,000,000 signatures to the Pledge! So, of course we wanted to include the organization in our “Bicycle Donation Opportunities” show. We speak with Senior Marketing and Communications Manager, Kate Powlison to hear about all the projects that are in progress or coming up for 2015. PFB has made some significant changes in the past year or so and has taken on a lot of the important work in moving cycling forward here in the U.S.

And finally, we are going to talk with the Nicole Preston, National Director for the Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure rides. We have talked about the rising incidence of diabetes and how cycling can help to alleviate some symptoms as well as keep more severe problems at bay. Nicole will give us an update on the events for 2015 and how you can get involved if you wish.

Lastly, we will hear the second part of my interview with Inga Thompson from last week.