Thanks to You, This was the Best July Ever
Yesterday, on their Facebook page, World Bicycle Relief put a photo up:
How much hyperbole was that? None. None hyperbole is how much hyperbole that statement was.
Because last month, World Bicycle Relief raised enough money to buy 1500 bikes for children, volunteer health care workers, and entrepreneurs in Africa. That’s a lot of bikes, which translates into a lot of people who are now going to have the means to stay — and succeed — in school. The means to take care of their neighbors in need. The means to launch and grow their businesses and take care of their families.
The Team Fatty Factor
World Bicycle Relief has never had such a successful fundraising July, and Trek needs to get about a million high-fives for their part of it. They pledged a dollar-for-dollar fundraising match during the month, up to $90,000. They also promised a Madone Series 7 Project One bike frame, an amazing fundraising incentive.
ENVE Composites also deserves massive credit for their participation, because I didn’t even have to approach them to help. They came to me, simply saying they wanted to help.
And SRAM, by donating top-of-the-line components, turned this from a prize for a nice beginning of a bike into a complete, true dream bike.
But more than anything else, I want to express gratitude for my readers — Team Fatty — for your outrageous generosity. I think a good case can be made that it’s you who made this World Bicycle Relief’s “Best July Ever.”
If you don’t mind, I’d like to explain why.
In July, World Bicycle Relief received enough donations to buy 1500 bikes. At $134 per bike, that means WBR pulled in approximately $201,000 in individual contributions in July.
Of that $201,000, Team Fatty raised $39,774. And of course, Trek donated their maximum of $90,000. When you take out those two numbers, the remaining donations come to $71,226. Without Team Fatty’s donations, in other words, the total amount raised would have come to $71,226.
Which means Trek wouldn’t have hit its matching ceiling, and instead would have matched that amount. So the total would have been around $142,452.
Which is — make no mistake — still a great number. But without you, WBR would be talking right now about having raised enough to buy 1063 bikes, instead of 1500.
So, whether you pre-ordered a 2014 Fat Cyclist jersey, or whether you donated money directly, thank you.
Thank you for being part of the most ridiculous, most generous group of people on the Internet.
You — along with a lot of teammates you’ve never met — have just made around 500 people’s lives immeasurably better.
I am the luckiest blogger in the world to have you as my readers and teammates.
And as my friends.
PS: The winner of the bike has been sent an email. I’ll post more once I hear back from him (yes, a male).