Why do I give to the American Bicycling Education Association? Why does anyone give to ABEA?

Because ABEA’s programs give back so much to the people touched by them.

Consider Orlando Huguet Jr., Safety & Training Coordinator for the Risk Management Division of Fort Lauderdale’s Human Resources Department. Earlier this month he was a participant in ABEA’s flagship program, CyclingSavvy.

Orlando wants to become a CyclingSavvy Instructor, so he can teach Fort Lauderdale employees best practices for bicycling. That he gave one of his precious weekends to travel to Orlando, FL, to take the course speaks volumes about the reputation of the CyclingSavvy program. But it was what he wrote afterward that really caught our attention:

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you and the rest of the CyclingSavvy team for facilitating such a very informative and interactive course.

Until I had attended your course, I thought I knew everything I needed to know on how to safely ride my bicycle. Your course is really amazing in that it changes old ways of bicycle riding thinking and opens a rider’s eyes to new and safer ways on how you should be cycling, as well as expanding your travels to other areas around town.

I never thought I would be riding my bike down the middle of a three and four lane road way or making left turns at major intersections.

But your course gives the rider a sense of renewed confidence and opens the bike owner to having more hours of safe riding enjoyment that they perhaps never thought possible.

I look forward to joining the CyclingSavvy Team and I am excited to help promote more potential bikers to take to the road with more confidence and in absolute safety.

And so one student from one CyclingSavvy class will lead a ripple effect of giving to others, as Orlando goes on to become a CSI so he can further share his newfound knowledge.

What other investment pays such handsome dividends?

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us and the holiday season is rushing along at full speed, on this Giving Tuesday I hope you’ll pause a moment and consider making a gift to the American Bicycling Education Association.

We rely on your donations to operate. Many people think ABEA must be a large organization with deep pockets to produce such high-quality programs and train outstanding CyclingSavvy Instructors. But actually ABEA is still quite small. Last year’s budget was in the five digits. We stretched–well, we begged a little, too–to cover the upfront costs of developing CyclingSavvy Online. This year we stretched again to hire Shannon Walsh, ABEA’s new associate executive director, to help with marketing and the development of ABEA’s programs. In the history of bicycle education, CyclingSavvy is a quantum leap forward. We want everyone to know how easy it can be to choose bicycling!

This holiday season we are thrilled to have received not one but TWO matching gifts for donations up to $1,000. The donors behind these gifts especially hope you will donate to ABEA. For now, if you join or donate to ABEA, up to $1,000 of your gift will be matched TWICE, meaning your gift is tripled.

Your donation will enable ABEA to expand CyclingSavvy to new places across the U.S. and reach more people with this life-changing and life-saving program.

In the few years of CyclingSavvy’s existence, we’ve received numerous testimonials as glowing as Orlando’s. We are thrilled by each and every one. Right now we need your support to keep ABEA and CyclingSavvy going and growing.

Our fundraising goal between today and year end is $10,000. If we reach our goal all with donations of $1,000 and below, that will mean $30,000 for ABEA! If you’re not already a member, please join today! If you are a member, we deeply appreciate your generosity in providing a year-end gift. ABEA is a 501(c)(3) educational organization. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

A heartfelt thank-you to ALL our donors who made it possible for Orlando to experience CyclingSavvy. It’s deeply gratifying to know that he will continue to pass along safest and best practices for bicycling.

See what you started? Please make your gift today, on Giving Tuesday, or as soon as you can. Keep spreading the joy of savvy cycling. Remember your gift up to $1,000 will be tripled while we have double matching gift offers. Help us reach our goal of $10,000 which, with matching gifts, means $30,000 for ABEA to provide groundbreaking bicycling education to more people like Orlando!