Because of the ongoing rain and the condition of the campground, Riding Out Poverty has been postponed to June 11, 2011. Please join us at the MLK Memorial Trailhead at 800 W Stadium between 9:00 and 10:00 to RIDE OUT POVERTY IN MID-MISSOURI!
Help us ride out poverty in Central Missouri! The 3rd Annual Riding Out Poverty event is scheduled for May 21, 2011 and has new features that will attract more cyclists than ever before. This year, CMCA has partnered with PedNet to include the event in the City of Columbia's Bike, Walk, and Wheel Week. The ride will coincide the Department of Natural Resources' Trail Day celebration at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial MKT Trailhead located at 800 West Stadium. Riders will depart at 10:00 and travel to Katfish Katy's on the Katy Trail. Along the way, riders will be able to search for hidden treasure by locating prizes according to GPS coordinates provided to them at registration. Upon arriving at Katfish Katy's, participants will be greeted with entertainment and a meal before riding back to the point of origin. This 18.6 mile bike ride can accommodate all trail riders the day of the event, including riders that may choose shorter distances and originate at any other access point along the MKT or Katy Trail. Riders choosing this option can retrieve event packets at Katfish Katy's. Fees are $30 for an individual and $100 for a family or team of four.
This fundraising bike ride is being hosted to support CMCA’s mission of empowering individuals and families to achieve self-reliance. CMCA offers a number of programs that assist people in attaining education, employment, and accessing one’s full potential; however, there are often systemic barriers that can impede a person’s ability to fully capitalize on what services are offered. Things like availability of competitive jobs; accessibility of quality, affordable housing; and reasonable transportation are all factors that need to be addressed when linking our clients to opportunity. In order to address these issues, CMCA has embarked on a journey to engage the community in creating affordable solutions and increasing the community’s capacity to offer prosperous opportunities to all of its residents. Riding Out Poverty is still in its infancy and we hope that you will join us in making it an annual tradition.
Riding Out Poverty is not only our major fundraiser of the year, it also serves as the capstone event to Community Action Month. Throughout the month, CMCA will be producing press releases throughout our 8 counties, mobilizing our supporters, and putting poverty on the hearts and minds of the entire mid-Missouri region. The bike ride will be a capstone to these efforts by creating an interactive opportunity for all of our stakeholders and offers a point of entry for people that want to learn about our mission.
CMCA will utilize funds raised from Riding Out Poverty to support its mission to serve 8 counties that comprises Central Missouri, develop resources that prevent poverty, and transform our services into a system that moves people from living within the confines of financial crisis, to a future where life has the endless potential of prosperity.