Hey Wheel Brothers! If you love attending races that benefit our local community, and support a great charity, the Ride For Refuge is right up your alley. Interested? Check out this interview with Erica Schmidt, the host of the event. Mark your calendars for February 8, 2014!
Why join your ride?
All proceeds from the event will be used to support refugees, asylees and survivors of human trafficking from around the world starting new lives in Texas. Each rider will receive a free raffle ticket for prizes including $100 gift certificates to Uchi restaurant; Sway restaurant and a free stay at the Driskill Hotel.
How long has your ride been around?
The Ride originated in Canada as a grass roots ride for all levels of riders. Traditionally, the ride in other cities is informal and supported by the communities where they ride. Ride for Refuge has been going strong for ten years. This will be Austin’s second Ride for Refuge.
Riders can range from “just bought a bike” to seasoned bikers.
What was the motivation behind starting the ride and who benefits from it?
After having suffered torture, indignity and political oppression, refugees, asylees and survivors of trafficking come to the central Texas area to start new lives. They do this with very little funding from government sources. Ride for Refugee proceeds help these brave people start their new lives in their new country. We are trying to help them to live independently with dignity.
How have they been able to utilize funds in the past?
Funds from the ride are used here in our Austin office to help new arrivals establish self-sustainability. We help get them all the necessary documents needed to make them U.S. citizens. We also provide funds for housing, while they learn English and look for employment. Our main goal is to establish full self-sustainability for these refugees within 90 days of arrival.
You can visit our website at rstx.org to see how the money is used and understand better the people we serve.
Logistically can you give us an idea of how many volunteers, finances and planning it takes to put on this event?
The planning for the ride started last March when with deciding which dates would viable for a nice ride in Austin. Staff, interns and volunteers at Refugee Services of Texas donate their own time to prepare things like logistics, donors and gather riders. As the event gets closer, the planning increases from monthly to weekly meetings with Ride Directors two months out. During this time we are all working hard to get the word out and seek support for the Ride for Refuge
We strive to keep everything for the ride donated as each dollar counts towards helping the families we serve.
Do you have a map of the start facility showing registration, parking, all toilets, water/snacks, start line?
The start and finish are at the Yellow Bike Project http://austinyellowbike.org. We foresee the total ridership to be around 200 riders and so this will be a rather small event.
What is the most rewarding experience of hosting this event?
The amount of community support for our organization during the Ride for Refuge can be humbling, as this is also support for the families we serve. We also love watching beginning riders bike ten miles and the pride on their faces.
What is the average number of participants?
We had 150 in 2012 and hope to reach 200 in 2014. We use approximately 40 volunteers in the event as well
What can folks do to support you and your mission?
You all can ride, volunteer or support a team with a pledge to raise funds for our refugees. You can also go to rstx.org to find out about volunteering throughout the year.
Do you ride, and if so, what kind of bicycle do you have?
Kay rides a Bianchi road bike.
Anything else you’d like to tell folks about this ride?
This is a fun, laid back ride put on by an organization, which has been in Austin for over ten years now and has helped settle over 500 families in the Austin area. By joining the ride and supporting Refugee Services of Texas you can make a real difference in the lives of the refugees, asylees and survivors of human trafficking who are striving to live independently in Texas.
I great ride, for a great cause. Hope to see you all there!
CLICK HERE for more information about the Ride For Refuge