I bet you're wondering why you should consider joining my team as a rider or a sponsor, well I would love to tell you all about that.

The proceeds from this event are all going towards helping Open Roads teach young people in the Kalamazoo community how to build skills, stay active and safe, and build relationships and community. These young people are learning how to earn themselves a bicycle or repair the one that has been in the corner of their garage for months. You should see the look on their face as the fix a flat tire by themselves for the first time- and you should see how that translates into confidence! Some of them are even continuing in our progams and learning job skills and leadership skills and they are getting paid to learn and skill build. How neat is that? Our teens work hard to earn their stipends so they can pay for cell phone bills, transportation and food. All important things, right? We work with a diverse group of youth and teens, although our target population is youth ages 8-18 who classify as low income (living at or below the poverty level) or who are at risk for delinquent behavior or academic failure.

It's truly a cause worth investing in. Without the support of individuals like you, our reach is just too short. We have the staff capacity to do more and the kids and community partners who are ready and waiting. We just need you.