Today is giving Tuesday and if you are fortunate enough to give this year there is no shortage of options for where to send donations. This past week alone I have received an e-mail or a letter from a zoo, a food pantry, a church, nature preserve, and a school. 

Just to add some variety to the plethora of options out there this giving Tuesday I would like to put in a shameless plug for a charity called World Bike Relief. (Further down is a link to the fundraiser page directly)

From the WBR website, “World Bicycle Relief mobilizes people through The Power of Bicycles. We are committed to helping people conquer the challenge of distance, achieve independence and thrive.”

I love riding a bike! When I saw this opportunity for a matched donation to help others get their own bike it seemed like a perfect match this year.

In essence WBR provides bicycles to people in various parts of the globe who benefit from this cheap, reliable transportation. The charity has been around since 2005 and already donated more than 400,000 bikes!

This is a big week for WBR as well. Zwift and Trek bikes are both shining the spotlight on WBR to help increase its impact. Zwift is hosting Ride With Reason which has been highlighting a different non-profit each week to raise funds and supplies for each charity. This week in particular, Trek bikes is matching donations up to $40,000 for donations made through the WBR site during this time of giving.

My fundraiser page has the target goal of raising $1,470. This would be enough to provide 10 individuals with their own bike to get to needed resources in their area.

Please consider joining me in helping raise funds, and awareness, for this effective non-profit.

I do recognize that there are many individuals in our own country and local cities who would also benefit from having a bicycle as a means of reliable transportation. If you are hoping to make an impact closer to home here are a couple similar non-profits in the west Michigan area. 

The Spoke Folks -Our mission is to increase and sustain bicycle ridership in the West Michigan area and beyond.Our goal is to make sure that people who are interested in cycling have access to safe and reliable bikes. We want to empower people to ride with pride and confidence.Our hope is to break down the obstacles that prevent people from cycling. We wish to make the bicycle a viable mode of transportation in our community.

Boston Square Community Bikes– a do-it-yourself, non-profit, community bike shop in the Oakdale / Boston Square neighborhood of Grand Rapids.  We help you work on your own bike, teaching you the skills you need to fix your bike and ride safely.  The shop and tools are free to use. Just pay for parts. We accept used bike donations of all kinds.

Thank you for taking a few moments to consider World Bike Relief. Please share if you know someone who loves cycling, giving back, or maybe is just for looking a new way to help others. Peace.