|
|
|
|
|
|
Ride for Hope and Housing
Post-Ride Report
Just four weeks ago over 230 cyclists joined Davidson Housing Coalition for the 4th annual Ride for Hope and Housing on Saturday, October 4th. Cyclists, volunteers, and spectators alike enjoyed the beautiful weather accompanying a cool morning and sunny afternoon.
Read on for a quick recap of the great event! |
|
The Ride. . . At 7:30 AM Saturday, October 4th cyclists began arriving at Davidson United Methodist Church. With plenty of bagels, bananas, and Summit coffee on-hand, soon all were ready to hit the road.
At 8:30 AM Event Chair Dick Hay welcomed the riders and announced the start of the 100K and 50K routes, followed shortly thereafter by the 25K course.
In the meantime, families and children enjoyed the bike safety course set up on-site by the Davidson Police Department. At 9:30 AM the Family Fun Ride set out at a fast pace. The morning had flown by.
Later, as cyclists began returning from their routes, sub-sandwiches, smoothies, water and Gatorade were ready for them. We were impressed by their speed and endurance!
The Support. . .
Without a doubt, the Rest Stops, SAG (Safety and Gear) Vehicles, and volunteers made the ride a success. Manning the Rest Stop stations were groups from Davidson IB Middle School, Davidson College Presbyterian Church, Girl Scout Troop 2703, Girl Scout Troop 2742, and The Lawrence Group. Additionally, some 21 volunteers dedicated their Saturday to help set-up, oversee, and take-down the event. We couldn't have done it without them!
The Planning. . .
Every year, a team of "Ride Captains" works to prepare for the Ride for Hope and Housing. Though there are many details to organize, this group has a lot of fun along the way! Want to be a part of planning for next year's ride? Have suggestions for the future? We welcome your input. Email us anytime. |
|
The Results. . .
Thanks to the support of the riders, volunteers, and 28 local businesses, Davidson Housing Coalition raised more than $26,000 from the Rdie for Hope and Housing, directly impacting our ability to provide affordable housing, emergency home repair programming, and homebuyer education and counseling services in our community.
The cyclists themselves best expressed their satisfaction with the ride. In post-ride survey responses, they enthused, "Wonderfully organized, pleasant staff & volunteers. Beautiful scenery on route. Lots of fun!!!" and "Extremely well done. Congratulations." Others summed up the day with a bit of humor, adding, "I thought you all did a great job. I think the real riders, not my category at all, and the weekend warriors alike enjoyed the ride" and "Just need a better body to ride faster--thanks to all."
Bike & Build!
The Ride for Hope and Housing enjoyed the participation of Bike & Build, a charitable organization that organizes cross-country bicycle trips which benefit affordable housing groups. Bike & Build donated $121,500 last year to affordable housing programs initiated or led by young adults ages 18 to 25. DHC learned the week of the ride that HAMMERS will receive $6,860 in support of its emergency home repairs in Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and Mooresville. Twelve fun, enthusiastic Bike & Build cyclists, coming from places as distant as Florida and New York, also joined us for the Ride for Hope and Housing. We loved having them!
Kristian Sekse, Bike & Build Program Director, reported, "Bike & Build was delighted to award the Davidson Housing Coalition (DHC) a grant for $6,860 to continue their building efforts. We were particularly attracted to their use of community involvement to spur discussion and education about the need for affordable housing in the surrounding area. In fact, twelve riders from our 2008 Central U.S. trip were so impressed with the DHC's program they came back to Davidson, NC after their summer was over and participated in the DHC's Ride for Hope & Housing. Riding 4,000 miles across the country clearly wasn't enough! Bike & Build wishes the DHC the best of luck in their upcoming year, and we hope to continue our support of their program for many seasons to come." |
|
|
Many thanks again to our sponsors:
Ingersoll Rand
Flat Creek Construction
The Spirited Cyclist
Childress Klein Properties
Total Bond Veterinary Hospital
Peoples Bank
JCB Urban
Knox Realty
Davidson Development Company
Harris Associates
Artisan Custom Homes
ColeJenest & Stone
Wooden Stone
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
Brickhouse Tavern
Cool Breeze Cyclery
The Cycle Path
Davidson Therapeutic Massage
Davidson Village Inn
Edward Jones Investments
Hoke Lumber
Jersey Mike's Subs
JJ Wade Agency
Newell Rubbermaid
The Norman Group
South Main Square
Summit Coffee
|
| Save the date! |
As you look to 2009, be sure to mark your calendars for the 5th annual Ride for Hope and Housing on Saturday, October 3rd. It's never too early to plan ahead!
|
|
| Davidson Housing Coalition is a non-profit organization founded in 1996 to provide safe, decent, and affordable housing for our lower-wealth families and individuals.
All proceeds from the Ride for Hope & Housing directly benefit DHC. Our programs include homeownership education, credit counseling, financial literacy workshops for youth and teens, and HAMMERS, an emergency home repair program that serves Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, and Mooresville. We also work with the Town of Davidson to implement their Affordable Housing Ordinance, requiring 12.5% affordable housing in all new residential developments for those who otherwise could not afford to live in our community-teachers, police officers, social workers, young professionals, administrative assistants and many others.
Thanks for taking the time to read about the Ride for Hope & Housing. It was quite a ride!
Sincerely,
Nancy Waldrop
Davidson Housing Coalition |
|
|
|
|
|
