Be a BikeWalk Champion: Support our Annual Campaign
BikeWalkKC’s Annual Campaign provides vital funds to support our efforts to redefine our streets as places for people to build a culture of active living. By donating to BikeWalkKC, you are investing in safer and more accessible streets and sidewalks for our community. Here are some simple ways you can help:
- Dontate online to our Annual Campaign: every penny is reinvested into our programs.
- Start with a Smile at Amazon.com: use this link to start shopping, and Amazon donates to BikeWalkKC. (The link works year ’round, so please bookmark for future use, too.)
- Designate your gift: you can designate all or part of your annual United Way pledge to BikeWalkKC, or see if your employer matches charitable donations.
- Give the gift of BikeWalkKC: our online store has fun and unique gift ideas for those hard-to-buy-for people in your life.
Make Your Voice Heard: Kansas City, MO G.O. Bond
The KCMO City Council and Mayor are considering placing an $800 million general obligation (G.O.) bond on the ballot to fund basic infrastructure improvements. Over the next two months, Council will be discussing what will go into the ballot language. Now is the time to ask the Mayor and City Council to set aside funding to make the city more walkable and bikeable. Click here to read our recommendations, discover ways to get involved, and take a moment to sign a petition that will be sent to the Mayor, City Manager, and your City Council members, asking them to support biking and walking in the G.O. bond.
Our Final Event of the Year: Bike to Yoga, Sunday, Dec. 11
The Women Bike KC committee invites you to our last event of the year! Join us for Bike to Yoga on Sunday, December 11, 9:45-noon at lululemon athletica on the Country Club Plaza, 444 Nichols Road, KCMO.
Join fellow cycling enthusiasts for a holiday bike ride and FREE yoga session on December 11. We will start the morning at 9:45 with a short bike ride, followed by yoga at 11:00 a.m. The yoga session will be led by Annamarie Weddle, long-time yoga instructor and Women Bike KC champion. We will conclude with light refreshments and time for networking at noon.
Whether you’re new to cycling and/or yoga, all are welcome and encouraged to attend! Bring your yoga mat, water, and your bike – bike valet parking will be provided.
Meet Our Newest Board Member: Ruth Anne French-Hodson
We are pleased to announce that Ruth Anne French-Hodson has joined our Board of Directors. She is an associate at Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLC, where she focuses her practice on complex litigation and international regulatory challenges. A Rhodes Scholar, Ruth Anne holds a JD from Yale Law School, a DPhil in Politics and an MPhil in Comparative Government from Oxford University, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Kansas. She is an avid cyclist and serves on the Women Bike KC committee.
Click here to see our full Board of Directors list. Interested in joining? Contact Eric Rogers to learn more.
What a BLAST: Our Education Year-in-Review
2016 was an unprecedented year for the educational programs at BikeWalkKC. In total, our instructors taught about 4,000 students the first steps in becoming safer and smarter bicyclists through our BLAST, Earn-A-Bike, and Youth Ambassadors/Bike Club programs. These students range from kindergarten to seniors in high school, and attend 10 different school districts in the Greater Kansas City area. In addition, about 150 bikes were earned through our Earn-A-Bike programs. That means that there are 150 more kids with bicycles in the KC area, all of whom now have a fundamental knowledge of mechanical skills and road safety. We are also thrilled about the success of our newest program, Youth Ambassadors/Bike Club. Nearly 100 students (and several VIPs!) participated in this advocacy and youth empowerment program from four different sites around the region.
The kids weren’t the only ones benefitting from our efforts, though. Eighteen adults earned bikes of their own in our adult education classes. Thanks to their new mode of transportation, some of these participants were able to obtain and hold jobs that would have otherwise been impossible to commute to. Through generous donations, the hard work of our instructors, and the unique partnerships with PE teachers, schools and school districts, parents, and community organizations, BikeWalkKC is continuing to make a real impact in our city. We look forward to expanding our youth and adult programs in 2017 to new school districts and with new partners.
Last Chance: Share Your Thoughts on Bike Share in NKC
BikeWalkKC is working with the City of North Kansas City to plan an expansion of bike share north of the river in 2017. We need your input to help locate stations in 2017 and future years. The new bike share stations will compliment and benefit from several new bike routes being planned in the city, including the KC region’s first cycletrack on Burlington Road. Thanks to the Bob Watts Path on the Heart of America Bridge, the North Kansas City B-stations will be easily connected with the 30 existing stations in Downtown, the Crossroads Arts District, Jazz District, Westport, Country Club Plaza, and along the Trolley Track Trail in Brookside and Waldo.
In addition to the three NKC stations, approximately ten more stations are planned for 2017, bringing us to a total of 43 B-stations!
Join or Renew Your Membership
BikeWalkKC is a member-supported nonprofit and we rely on individuals like you to help us fight for your rights at City Hall, raise motorists’ awareness, educate the next generation, and make KC a better place to walk, bike, live, work, and play. Please join, renew, or make a donation today.