Mother's Day Ride
Kim Ludlow: Why I rode along with Trish
Posted by Scott on 05/11 | Permalink | Email This
It’s 6am and I’m still on Trish Time. Back in the comforts of my own home, I no longer have to figure out the route, make the energy drinks or the peanut butter sandwich Trish takes with her, get the GPS working, or the videos downloaded, or work the checklist to make sure she has everything she needs before she rides off.
I can take a moment to breathe, and consider the journey.
There is the business of the day.
It began as I described above, with the tasks necessary to get Trish on the road on time. Making a peanut butter sandwich is easy; figuring out how to stay within miles of Trish, driving an RV through tight lanes and poorly marked streets in the rain, not so much. The morning often involved recalculating the route for any number of reasons, which meant that I got on Google Maps, Beth read the directions of the planned route, and Trish tried to reprogram her Garmin, the nifty little piece of technology that points Trish in the right direction down to the street, but never really shows the big picture. Needless to say, Trish never got lost, but we did. Often. That was tough on Trish, needing warmer clothes or food and we’re no where in sight. It was tough on me, because I hate bad signage. And there is lots of it out there.
So Trish would ride off into the rain (most of my days on board were rainy), and Beth’s phone would begin to ring. And ring. And double ring. I liked to start the day driving because it stressed me out to have Beth driving and trying to deal with a million phone calls, grabbing a pad, and trying to listen to me as I fed her the next turn.
Each day threw some wrench into the works, whether it was just the rain and wind, or something bigger, like a dead generator, or a fender bender, or a complete change of the day’s destination. And you have to imagine this: To create a blog, photos, video and text must to uploaded to a central site, which can then be downloaded to the Dancing Deer site. The creation of those things took place during the day, and generally I was in charge of uploading the photos and video at night. But one video could take 2 hours to upload. So some of it needed to be done the next day. No big deal. Except that the RV’s shock absorbers left us with something between a roller coaster ride and a trampoline on most of the roads. And that meant that for every 20 ft, I had to reach out and grab the computers to keep them from sailing off the table. And often, the video which had completed 20 minutes out of 90, would fail due to the jostled connections. And so we’d start again. RV’s need to be built like boats, with the ability to baton down the hatches. Food sailed out of cabinets, cameras hit the deck, and getting to the bathroom always produced a few bruises.
Mostly, we got to the evening events on time. If we were lucky, someone had unpacked the Ginger Bread houses before we arrived. The icing still needed to be made. Making icing in the RV is like an I LOVE LUCY episode, if you’re old enough to remember the show. Beth is crouched on the floor, cradling the mixer, icing hitting every surface around her, including herself.
Though sometimes late, we always made it, and the kids and their parents were always anxious to begin. Parents helped the little ones, and chatted with Trish while they worked. The icing went everywhere, the kids ate the decorations, the noise level increased, and the sheer pleasure of doing something creative was palpable. I took pictures, sometimes grabbed a video of someone’s story, and eventually accumulated a line of kids wanting their picture taken with their finished house. It amazed me what they did with some frosting and candy. Beautiful houses, often the house of their dreams. One boy attached 6 green candies onto the top of his roof. He told me they were cameras. They could see everywhere. They would keep his family safe. A sobering moment for me.
With the houses finished, lights out looming, the kids bouncing off the walls on sugar, we’d say goodnight and crawl into the RV, sometimes parked in a lot behind the shelter, sometimes the driveway of a friend, and for two nights in an RV park. The last part of our day took another few hours, with dinner, showers, and the Blog. Trish would begin to write, Beth might cook, and I’d start downloading and organizing the photos and Video. We’d exchange observations, edit back and forth, laugh at the days trials, wonder at the people we met and try desperately to get to bed on time. We wanted 7 hours of sleep. Sometimes it was only 6.
Lots of things broke along the way. What remained intact and true was Trish’s spirit. Every day was long, but some were harder than others. Still, Trish’s mind stayed on the goal at hand. Make people listen. Make people care. Set an example. And all these things she did.
Each person we met was different, just like anywhere else you go. One was friendly, one more reserved. One was strong, another carried the scars of a troubled life. One thing that is clear is that no one likes being homeless. There are those who might judge from the comforts of their home that sheltered people are there because they are lazy or careless. This experience showed me that there are many people who lack the community that might rescue the more fortunate, and left alone to solve the problem, they don’t have the tools to manage when the last straw breaks the camel’s back. It may be domestic violence, medical issues, loss of employment, or it may be as simple as a car breaking down. Whatever it is, that event can eat up the one paycheck that sets the working poor on a course to homelessness. It isn’t pleasant, it isn’t easy, and it isn’t the way these parents want their children to grow up. It’s not something anyone chooses.
Trish believes poverty is at the core of the problem, and education is at the center of the solution. I agree. The better educated the adult, the better employment they can attain. The better the employment, the more likely they are self sufficient. Self sufficiency brings security. Children need security to thrive. So the better educated the parent, the better educated the child. And the future of this country is its children. That’s why Trish rode 1500 miles. And that’s why I rode along with her.
I can take a moment to breathe, and consider the journey.
There is the business of the day.
It began as I described above, with the tasks necessary to get Trish on the road on time. Making a peanut butter sandwich is easy; figuring out how to stay within miles of Trish, driving an RV through tight lanes and poorly marked streets in the rain, not so much. The morning often involved recalculating the route for any number of reasons, which meant that I got on Google Maps, Beth read the directions of the planned route, and Trish tried to reprogram her Garmin, the nifty little piece of technology that points Trish in the right direction down to the street, but never really shows the big picture. Needless to say, Trish never got lost, but we did. Often. That was tough on Trish, needing warmer clothes or food and we’re no where in sight. It was tough on me, because I hate bad signage. And there is lots of it out there.
So Trish would ride off into the rain (most of my days on board were rainy), and Beth’s phone would begin to ring. And ring. And double ring. I liked to start the day driving because it stressed me out to have Beth driving and trying to deal with a million phone calls, grabbing a pad, and trying to listen to me as I fed her the next turn.
Each day threw some wrench into the works, whether it was just the rain and wind, or something bigger, like a dead generator, or a fender bender, or a complete change of the day’s destination. And you have to imagine this: To create a blog, photos, video and text must to uploaded to a central site, which can then be downloaded to the Dancing Deer site. The creation of those things took place during the day, and generally I was in charge of uploading the photos and video at night. But one video could take 2 hours to upload. So some of it needed to be done the next day. No big deal. Except that the RV’s shock absorbers left us with something between a roller coaster ride and a trampoline on most of the roads. And that meant that for every 20 ft, I had to reach out and grab the computers to keep them from sailing off the table. And often, the video which had completed 20 minutes out of 90, would fail due to the jostled connections. And so we’d start again. RV’s need to be built like boats, with the ability to baton down the hatches. Food sailed out of cabinets, cameras hit the deck, and getting to the bathroom always produced a few bruises.
Mostly, we got to the evening events on time. If we were lucky, someone had unpacked the Ginger Bread houses before we arrived. The icing still needed to be made. Making icing in the RV is like an I LOVE LUCY episode, if you’re old enough to remember the show. Beth is crouched on the floor, cradling the mixer, icing hitting every surface around her, including herself.
Though sometimes late, we always made it, and the kids and their parents were always anxious to begin. Parents helped the little ones, and chatted with Trish while they worked. The icing went everywhere, the kids ate the decorations, the noise level increased, and the sheer pleasure of doing something creative was palpable. I took pictures, sometimes grabbed a video of someone’s story, and eventually accumulated a line of kids wanting their picture taken with their finished house. It amazed me what they did with some frosting and candy. Beautiful houses, often the house of their dreams. One boy attached 6 green candies onto the top of his roof. He told me they were cameras. They could see everywhere. They would keep his family safe. A sobering moment for me.
With the houses finished, lights out looming, the kids bouncing off the walls on sugar, we’d say goodnight and crawl into the RV, sometimes parked in a lot behind the shelter, sometimes the driveway of a friend, and for two nights in an RV park. The last part of our day took another few hours, with dinner, showers, and the Blog. Trish would begin to write, Beth might cook, and I’d start downloading and organizing the photos and Video. We’d exchange observations, edit back and forth, laugh at the days trials, wonder at the people we met and try desperately to get to bed on time. We wanted 7 hours of sleep. Sometimes it was only 6.
Lots of things broke along the way. What remained intact and true was Trish’s spirit. Every day was long, but some were harder than others. Still, Trish’s mind stayed on the goal at hand. Make people listen. Make people care. Set an example. And all these things she did.
Each person we met was different, just like anywhere else you go. One was friendly, one more reserved. One was strong, another carried the scars of a troubled life. One thing that is clear is that no one likes being homeless. There are those who might judge from the comforts of their home that sheltered people are there because they are lazy or careless. This experience showed me that there are many people who lack the community that might rescue the more fortunate, and left alone to solve the problem, they don’t have the tools to manage when the last straw breaks the camel’s back. It may be domestic violence, medical issues, loss of employment, or it may be as simple as a car breaking down. Whatever it is, that event can eat up the one paycheck that sets the working poor on a course to homelessness. It isn’t pleasant, it isn’t easy, and it isn’t the way these parents want their children to grow up. It’s not something anyone chooses.
Trish believes poverty is at the core of the problem, and education is at the center of the solution. I agree. The better educated the adult, the better employment they can attain. The better the employment, the more likely they are self sufficient. Self sufficiency brings security. Children need security to thrive. So the better educated the parent, the better educated the child. And the future of this country is its children. That’s why Trish rode 1500 miles. And that’s why I rode along with her.
The Mother’s Day Ride: A Retrospective
Posted by Scott on 05/08 | Permalink | Email This
Zach and Jennifer at refine + focus were kind enough to put together this beautiful montage of The Mother's Day Ride recounting the faces of family homelessness and positive impact that shelters are making on their lives. We are very proud to share it with you and continue to applaud Trish for her efforts to raise awareness of this critically important issue.
refine + focus was instrumental in coordinating all of the social media aspects of the ride and we are very grateful to them for their efforts.
refine + focus was instrumental in coordinating all of the social media aspects of the ride and we are very grateful to them for their efforts.
Home!!
Posted by Zach on 05/07 | Permalink | Email This
Home!! OK so I did this crazy thing and miraculously arrived home safely on the wings of so many people who made it possible. Now what I’m thinking about is how to use this foundation to do more to end homelessness - after catching my breath.
HUGE apologies and thanks to the friends who arrived at the Commons expecting the event to be there. It was moved at the last minute, appropriately, to Project Hope and because of security issues the decision was made not to publicize the new location. We had a wonderful homecoming with the Mayor, Undersecretary of Housing Tina Brooks, One Family and the Deer family and friends. The Governor was unable to come due to the passing of his mother-in-law yesterday – very sad news and we are all sending our warm thoughts to Diane, Deval and their family.
HUGE apologies also that while naming my list of thanks I somehow forgot to shine a light on:
• UPS which delivered all the Gingerbread Houses and supplest to the shelters up and down the East Coast
• Our great vendor Arcade Snacks which supplied all those fruits, nuts, chocolate and candies. They also supplied me with power food and think personally ate a case of dried apricots and mixed nuts.
• Two volunteers who jumped in to man the logistics, do the outreach in 14 cities, manage content posting on the blog from the home base -- Lindsay Interland and Kate Brown – very talented young professionals who were extraordinary. I‘m still wondering how Beth landed them and impressed with the way they stepped in so seamlessly.
• Two friends of Beth, Amy Catlin and Kim Ludlow who volunteered to round out the road crew and joined us for about a week each to do everything from driving to technical solutions. You really can’t imagine how enormous a contribution that was unless you’ve been on a similar journey. It was a completely intense and exhausting 24/7 commitment. These people are angels as well as smart and talented. We just wouldn’t have made it without them.
Please forgive me for not calling you out at the ceremony today. The danger in remembering this now is that I’m likely to wake up in the middle of the night and forget another important sponsor or supporter. So you may be hearing from me on this topic again soon. At the moment I’m running out of juice and about to shut down.
Today’s ride started unofficially at 3:30 when I awoke and listened to the pouring rain. We weren’t actually pedaling the final leg until 5:20 AM and arrived n Boston 125 miles, 8,000 feet of elevation, 9 hours, 6,000 calories and many moments of riding camaraderie later. Some time mid day we began to dry out but the sun didn’t really come out from the clouds until pretty much the very moment we were over the city line n to Hyde Park. The first dry pavement I had seen in 9 days however showed itself back n Pomfret, CT. Very welcome sight. Having had only three 20 mile pulls on the entre tarp this long haul over a hilly course in imperfect weather conditions actually was a breeze because two great riding friends were pulling the whole way. Thank you Ashley and Scott! Also Beth and Kim hung in there and drove at 16 miles an hour for the entire day (which I am sure I would not be capable of doing myself) to make sure we arrived on time with none of the travel surprises or hiccups that are commonplace.
I can’t tell you how good it feels to be home with my son, clean and in my own bed.
I’m looking forward to being back at work tomorrow on the cookie selling side of Dancing Deer. We have lots to do and I miss everyone.
HUGE apologies and thanks to the friends who arrived at the Commons expecting the event to be there. It was moved at the last minute, appropriately, to Project Hope and because of security issues the decision was made not to publicize the new location. We had a wonderful homecoming with the Mayor, Undersecretary of Housing Tina Brooks, One Family and the Deer family and friends. The Governor was unable to come due to the passing of his mother-in-law yesterday – very sad news and we are all sending our warm thoughts to Diane, Deval and their family.
HUGE apologies also that while naming my list of thanks I somehow forgot to shine a light on:
• UPS which delivered all the Gingerbread Houses and supplest to the shelters up and down the East Coast
• Our great vendor Arcade Snacks which supplied all those fruits, nuts, chocolate and candies. They also supplied me with power food and think personally ate a case of dried apricots and mixed nuts.
• Two volunteers who jumped in to man the logistics, do the outreach in 14 cities, manage content posting on the blog from the home base -- Lindsay Interland and Kate Brown – very talented young professionals who were extraordinary. I‘m still wondering how Beth landed them and impressed with the way they stepped in so seamlessly.
• Two friends of Beth, Amy Catlin and Kim Ludlow who volunteered to round out the road crew and joined us for about a week each to do everything from driving to technical solutions. You really can’t imagine how enormous a contribution that was unless you’ve been on a similar journey. It was a completely intense and exhausting 24/7 commitment. These people are angels as well as smart and talented. We just wouldn’t have made it without them.
Please forgive me for not calling you out at the ceremony today. The danger in remembering this now is that I’m likely to wake up in the middle of the night and forget another important sponsor or supporter. So you may be hearing from me on this topic again soon. At the moment I’m running out of juice and about to shut down.
Today’s ride started unofficially at 3:30 when I awoke and listened to the pouring rain. We weren’t actually pedaling the final leg until 5:20 AM and arrived n Boston 125 miles, 8,000 feet of elevation, 9 hours, 6,000 calories and many moments of riding camaraderie later. Some time mid day we began to dry out but the sun didn’t really come out from the clouds until pretty much the very moment we were over the city line n to Hyde Park. The first dry pavement I had seen in 9 days however showed itself back n Pomfret, CT. Very welcome sight. Having had only three 20 mile pulls on the entre tarp this long haul over a hilly course in imperfect weather conditions actually was a breeze because two great riding friends were pulling the whole way. Thank you Ashley and Scott! Also Beth and Kim hung in there and drove at 16 miles an hour for the entire day (which I am sure I would not be capable of doing myself) to make sure we arrived on time with none of the travel surprises or hiccups that are commonplace.
I can’t tell you how good it feels to be home with my son, clean and in my own bed.
I’m looking forward to being back at work tomorrow on the cookie selling side of Dancing Deer. We have lots to do and I miss everyone.
Dancing Deer CEO completes mission to fight homelessness
Posted by Scott on 05/07 | Permalink | Email This
New England Cable News reports on Trish's return to Boston after 15 days and 1,500 miles.
Read the entire story here.
CLICK HERE to watch the NECN interview with Trish before setting out on a 15-day, 1,500-mile mission to promote positive social change.
By the Numbers: Homelessness in Boston
Posted by Lindsay on 05/06 | Permalink | Email This
As of September 2008, there are about 2,000 families and 2,900 homeless individuals in Massachusetts shelters.
This is an increase of 143 families and 93 individuals from September 2007.
17 days: The average stay in these shelters.
In 2007, 27 homeless families were moved to motels and hotels, because the shelters were over capacity.
In 2008, this number skyrocketed to over 500 homeless families.
Many of the 19,666 people on the Boston Housing Authority's waiting list are homeless, indicating that public housing is also limited.
Source for statistics and chart: "Homelessness Hits Record High," Boston Globe. Click here to read the full article.
Coming Home: Last-minute logistics changes
Posted by Scott on 05/06 | Permalink | Email This
We cannot believe that after 15 days, Trish will be arriving home today! We want to thank you all for the interest and support of Trish’s Ride. Due to the inevitable nature (and complex logistics) of these kinds of rides, the public ride-in with Trish, scheduled for today on Boston Commons has been cancelled. We appreciate people’s interest in being part of the ride-in and regret any inconvenience that the last minute switch may have caused.
Hartford, CT - Homeward Bound
Posted by Zach on 05/06 | Permalink | Email This
From my bb again so brief. Grueling day in wind and rain. Kept thinking there must be something wrong with my bike it was moving so slowly. Was caked in mud. Switched it out to the clean alternate with compromised frame (car accident) which gave me a psychological edge and kept riding. Sag wagon fell behind and when it caught up grabbed me to get to Salvation Army where the Mayor was waiting. But traffic held us back and we missed him by minutes.
And then magically all was good again as we were welcomed in to the last shelter of our trip. Same rush of energy and room full of creative happiness. I wish I'd kept track of every time some delighted child or adult told me they'd always wanted to make a gingerbread house. Tonight I was particularly taken with two teenage brothers who made some of the most surprising and wonderful use of found materials and worked meticulously and collaboratively.
Once again the staff was impressive and kind. The stories of how each family became homeless were familiar but unique.
We were thanked generously and yet it felt as always, that we owed the thanks and had so much to be thankful for.
Got to Old Lyme in time to visit with my failing father who was very perky this evening. He vaguely understood something about what I'd been up to but in any case was very proud. I can imagine what Mom would have said and done too. Probably some little hand painted sign and a rhyme and a hug and then some admonitions about being careful and perhaps not being too full of myself. And she'd have wanted to know all about the shelters and have an opinion about the state of the world and the lopsided distribution of wealth. I just remembered Mom's crusade (successful) to bring inner city kids down to enjoy the shoreline. It was controversial. Go Mom!
Not sure what we've accomplished. Will start trying to sort that out tomorrow. 120 mile last leg ride starts at 5 AM. Scott Chamberlin from Wheelworks and Ashley Sanders from the Blue Hills Cycling Club are riding with me. Will be soooo great to have company.
And of course when I reunite with Dimitri (15) and a few days later Eleanna also home from college I will be grateful with a new appreciation of home.
Ride with Meaning: Bringing Awareness to Homelessness
Posted by Scott on 05/05 | Permalink | Email This
We encourage you to read this blog entry by John Moore of Chilmark Research entitled Ride with Meaning: Bringing Awareness to Homelessness. It is rich with John's insights and statistics on family homelessness and what the Ride is doing to bring attention to this issue. As important is the comment to this entry by Sherry Reynolds discussing the correlation between escalating health care costs and family homelessness.
If you read nothing else today, please read this.
If you read nothing else today, please read this.
Hard at work, NYC, Jackson Family Residence
Posted by Zach on 05/05 | Permalink | Email This
Writing this one on my Blackberry standing waiting for path train back to Jersey city where we left our RV. It's about 9 PM. We spent the evening at the Jackson Family Residence Shelter, housing app. 90 families, in the Bronx. This was an unscheduled addition to our trip. We meant to be halfway to Hartford this evening for our last shelter visit tomorrow night.
But my meeting with Robert Hess, Commissioner of New York City's Department of Homeless Services (DHS) this morning resulted in our adding in one more event tonight in NYC. DHS is a $1 Billion agency with reputedly the most advanced and comprehensive programs in the nation. I was delighted to learn that one of their new programs is a scholars initiative with St. John's University based on the One Family Scholars Program Dancing Deer has been supporting for years. There is much to tell about what I learned and saw in NYC. But it's late and a long way to Hartford in the AM. At this point we hope to shut down our computers and be in bed by 11:30. So I'll circle back around on all of that later and just make a note about my conversation with the Commissioner.
He's been in this field in one way or another throughout his career and had knew many of the programs and people we have met. He financed the HELP USA project we were so impressed with in Philadelphia, knew Donnis Honeycut and shared our enthusiasm for him. We were in agreement that what we're talking about is poverty. Homelessness can be solved. But poverty is on the rise. While the city has been dramatically successful in reducing the number of individuals living on the streets, the applications for families are also dramatically escalating. In New York, everyone is guaranteed shelter. It's the law.
We turned ourselves inside out to add the shelter and it was a bit of a fire drill. But the decision to do it was an outgrowth of a conversation about the difference between effecting critical structural changes in society and effecting a change in our value system. I explained that these gingerbread events aren't about the structural stuff, they are philanthropy at a very personal level. We, as a society, use financial metrics to define our worth as human beings. When one spends the evening decorating gingerbread houses with a bunch of homeless families, those metrics melt away and we meet each other on a level playing field.
Further note: We enjoyed the Commissioner's company this evening and he jumped right in with the activities. The NY media wasn't interested and we'd hoped they would be so that we'd get some lift on our scholarship fundraising goals. But their absence was totally forgotten the moment we walked in the door and met the kids.
So we still aren't hitting the numbers, but we have given and received something joyous and special at each of these places.
But my meeting with Robert Hess, Commissioner of New York City's Department of Homeless Services (DHS) this morning resulted in our adding in one more event tonight in NYC. DHS is a $1 Billion agency with reputedly the most advanced and comprehensive programs in the nation. I was delighted to learn that one of their new programs is a scholars initiative with St. John's University based on the One Family Scholars Program Dancing Deer has been supporting for years. There is much to tell about what I learned and saw in NYC. But it's late and a long way to Hartford in the AM. At this point we hope to shut down our computers and be in bed by 11:30. So I'll circle back around on all of that later and just make a note about my conversation with the Commissioner.
He's been in this field in one way or another throughout his career and had knew many of the programs and people we have met. He financed the HELP USA project we were so impressed with in Philadelphia, knew Donnis Honeycut and shared our enthusiasm for him. We were in agreement that what we're talking about is poverty. Homelessness can be solved. But poverty is on the rise. While the city has been dramatically successful in reducing the number of individuals living on the streets, the applications for families are also dramatically escalating. In New York, everyone is guaranteed shelter. It's the law.
We turned ourselves inside out to add the shelter and it was a bit of a fire drill. But the decision to do it was an outgrowth of a conversation about the difference between effecting critical structural changes in society and effecting a change in our value system. I explained that these gingerbread events aren't about the structural stuff, they are philanthropy at a very personal level. We, as a society, use financial metrics to define our worth as human beings. When one spends the evening decorating gingerbread houses with a bunch of homeless families, those metrics melt away and we meet each other on a level playing field.
Further note: We enjoyed the Commissioner's company this evening and he jumped right in with the activities. The NY media wasn't interested and we'd hoped they would be so that we'd get some lift on our scholarship fundraising goals. But their absence was totally forgotten the moment we walked in the door and met the kids.
So we still aren't hitting the numbers, but we have given and received something joyous and special at each of these places.
One Family Celebrates 38 Formerly Homeless Graduates of their Scholars Program
Posted by Scott on 05/04 | Permalink | Email This
This year, the number of homeless families in Massachusetts has hit a record high.
But there is a beacon of light in the middle of the economic storm.
One Family is a Not-for-Profit organization that helps families end homelessness.
Tonight, the group will celebrate 38 women who were formerly homeless or at risk for homelessness. These women are all graduating from college, the result of the One Family Scholars program.
Denise Durham Williams, the executive director of One Family, and Candace Trundley, one of the 38 women being honored, recently joined the FOX25 Morning News with more on the program.
But there is a beacon of light in the middle of the economic storm.
One Family is a Not-for-Profit organization that helps families end homelessness.
Tonight, the group will celebrate 38 women who were formerly homeless or at risk for homelessness. These women are all graduating from college, the result of the One Family Scholars program.
Denise Durham Williams, the executive director of One Family, and Candace Trundley, one of the 38 women being honored, recently joined the FOX25 Morning News with more on the program.
A Ride Above and Beyond all Rides
Posted by Scott on 05/04 | Permalink | Email This
I was first introduced to Beth Wald and Trish Karter about 2 months ago on a very busy Saturday at Belmont Wheelworks. I was already helping customers when someone came up to me and said that there was a couple of gals waiting for me that need some help going over there new GPS. I had no idea of the Mother's Day Ride and had never heard of Dancing Deer.
I figured that the best place to go over the little bicycle mount GPS was to go into our shoe area and have each of the women sit on ether side of me to see the little screen. That's when I first heard of this incredible idea and what they were about to find themselves doing. I had the feeling that after our little session in the shoe area that the only thing they got from the tutorial was how to turn it on and off. I told them if they ever had any problem to please call me, anytime. What I got was a since of two wonderful people with a wonderful idea.
My name is Scott Chamberlain. I'm what Clint at Wheelworks refers to me as his "Front Line Quarterback"
I have been at Wheelworks for 10 seasons, International Bicycle for 11 seasons and before The Bicycle Exchange in Harvard Square for 10. I have lived cycling for over the past 40+ years as a dally love and have owned over 175 bicycles. I was involved with off road riding back in the early 70's and now Recumbent's. I ride a Tandem about 75 miles a week and have ridden across France and Spain off road. I sometimes ride as many as 3 different bicycle a day and have a huge collection. Dealing with bicycle customers dally, ( yes, I take calls on my day's off, ask Trish,,, ) I have never heard of such a Beautiful ride idea. When I talked to the girls the other night, they just thought I was joking and trying to make them feel good after another very wet and trying day.
Think about it: Ride your bicycle, alone, up the East Coast of the US, riding into major city's on City Streets and guess what? Meet people with a cause to make there life's better!
Rides I have helped and heard of over the past years have always avoided the citys.They always finished with a good dinner and a good nights sleep. Trish "shuts down" around 12:30 am and wakes in the middle of the night planning the logistics of the next day. That's Trish. All for the good of someone she has never met. Think about that one and compare it to what you have heard about bicycle tours and benefit rides in the past.
When Trish asked me after we had ridden together over 300 miles before the start of the first day if I thought she was ready for the ride and if I thought she would be OK, I hesitated too long for her comfort. Her eyes opened really wide and stared into mine with this intense Trish Karter style and said , "Too long of a wait to answer!" I told her that the only thing I was worrying about was the drivers, not her and her physical strength or determination to pull it off. She knew what I was talking about and asked me to just say "YES YOU'RE READY!!" next time she asked.
I got a ride home in a car that night and talked to my good friend Rob Delisle about Team Dancing Deer. I said to Rob about how the weather will be wet and by the time Trish gets back to Boston, everything will be Spring, I figured wet snow and lots of wind like we have seen before at the end of April, first of May. It was what was to be expected.
Trish has been riding in the rain for the past 6 days.
Tomorrow morning I will be riding down to Old Lyme, Ct in the rain to see my new friend back home. We will be leaving Old Lyme at 5:00 am to be in Boston by 2:30. Anyone wanting to join along are welcomed to come along. We will be crossing into Massachusetts around 10:00 and stop in Douglas Center for food around 10:20. We will be passing Newton City Hall around 2:00 and will meet with anyone who would like to see Trish on the final 8 miles to the finish.
We will be on Boston Common hopefully by 2:30.
Any Questions, Call me at 617-489-3577 today from 12-8, Or email me at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Good Luck Trish and see you Wednesday Morning for what looks like a beautiful day!
YES!
Oh, what a beautiful morning
Posted by Zach on 05/03 | Permalink | Email This
We just reviewed this video of the optimistic morning start – still chuckling. The Shirelles “Mama Said there’d be days like this” is playing in my head. Wet and treacherous, full of setbacks. I only rode a total of about 50 miles toward NYC when we finally got to a bridge that was out. No kidding. We decided it was a sign from the gods and surrendered.
By the Numbers: Homelessness in New York City
Posted by Lindsay on 05/03 | Permalink | Email This
In this decade, New York City has reached its highest levels of homelessness since the Great Depression in the 1930s.
In November 2008, 36,000 homeless people were sleeping in NYC shelters. Of this total, 15,800 were children, 14,100 adult family members, and 6,700 single adults.
Last year, more than 109,000 homeless children and adults relied on NYC shelters.
In the past decade, the NYC homeless shelter population has risen by almost 2/3.
10 months: the average stay for homeless families in the municipal shelter system.
It actually costs less per year to provide permanent housing for homeless families than to shelter them:
$36,000 per year: The cost to shelter a homeless family in the NYC Shelter System
$12,500 per year: The cost to provide a supportive housing apartment to a homeless family
Source for all facts
Do you have a story that extends beyond these statistics that you would like to share with Trish? Ride with her or (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
In November 2008, 36,000 homeless people were sleeping in NYC shelters. Of this total, 15,800 were children, 14,100 adult family members, and 6,700 single adults.
Last year, more than 109,000 homeless children and adults relied on NYC shelters.
In the past decade, the NYC homeless shelter population has risen by almost 2/3.
10 months: the average stay for homeless families in the municipal shelter system.
It actually costs less per year to provide permanent housing for homeless families than to shelter them:
$36,000 per year: The cost to shelter a homeless family in the NYC Shelter System
$12,500 per year: The cost to provide a supportive housing apartment to a homeless family
Source for all facts
Do you have a story that extends beyond these statistics that you would like to share with Trish? Ride with her or (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Trolley Tracks and the Light Effect
Posted by Zach on 05/03 | Permalink | Email This
The first time I crossed the rain-slicked trolley tracks they caught me completely off guard and I went down really hard. Lay on the road for a minute thinking about whether my hip might be broken – in an odd state of unconcern about traffic. It seemed that it had stopped around me. Several people were there and couldn’t have been nicer. After an exchange about my condition with one gentleman and my profuse thanks to him, he had said, “There are still good people around you know” Yes. Once I collected myself and was upright I asked if I could record what he’d said and whipped out my flip cam.
So I approached the crossing of the next set of trolley tracks with caution and thought I’d be fine. Bam. Down again but on the right side so now I was at least balanced out. Third try (yes I was sure I had the wet trolley track technique by the third try) I approached them perfectly perpendicular and with caution, bam, down again. Can’t remember where I hit.
So I caught up with the support van and decided that I’d just stop on the next crossing and walk it over and we’d try to find a route that gets us away from the tracks out of Philadelphia.
Then I rode safely and relatively slowly for a mile or two searching for the left turn that would get us away from the tracks and finally saw it. Was I too tired or my brain too scrambled or was there too much camouflage on the road or my glasses too full of rain drops to see that last set of tracks? Don’t know. But that last fall was hard to get up from. Support van was in sight this time and pulled up before I’d assembled myself. Nice policeman, also passersby. I climbed in with an agreement that I’d take a ride to the outskirts of town. Hoping for better roads. Giving me time to ice my knee which, happily, was hit in an entirely new way and so didn’t reinjure any of the things I’d already been icing.
I am sure that this is all just background for what will be a particularly bright point of light some time soon. Rembrandt’s best stuff is all atmosphere and darkness and it sits there quietly in the background and allows the moment of light to reveal something beautiful, the light effect. I am always looking for the light effect and building toward it when I’m painting. Just realized I’m doing that on this ride as well.
Latoya – A success story
Posted by Zach on 05/03 | Permalink | Email This
Latoya is the Administrative Assistant to Donnis. She is a success story. She was a teenage Mom, went through the shelter system, was a resident here at Help Philadelphia and made it out the other side. She got an education and a career and is an inspiration. Donnis guessed for me that this program runs about a 60:40 success rate if you define success as moving to permanent housing and independent lives.