[B’ Spokes: I would not post this if I did not think this was a good cause. They have provided tools and reports that have helped make an impact in creating a change here in Maryland, in particular the Benchmarking reports have been the most helpful.]
by Jeff Miller, Alliance President / CEO
If Susie Stephens were still with us, she’d be beaming from ear to ear.
The tireless bicycle advocate from Washington state would be making phone calls and sending e-mails. Heck, she’d be writing catchy lyrics for a campfire sing-a-long to trumpet the news: The Alliance for Biking & Walking is 15 years old and growing faster than we ever dreamed!
Honor Susie and celebrate with us. Help us raise $15,000 to mark our 15th anniversary by pledging your personal support for the Alliance today!
I met Susie in 1996, when I was among the small handful of bicycle and pedestrian advocates who gathered at the Thunderhead Ranch. We traveled to a remote site in Wyoming to share our individual experiences as local, grassroots leaders but discovered a collective movement that stretched across the continent. We made professional connections that advanced our work, but, because of visionaries like Susie, that gathering became much more than a simple networking session.
As a co-founder of the Alliance, Susie knew that we needed to create an organization that would serve local and state leaders with training, networking and resources to grow and strengthen their organizations. She felt so passionately about the importance of that grassroots network that she was the first to line up to lead the organization. “This bicycle stuff is my passion,” Susie wrote in a letter to Randy Neufeld in 1999. “That simple and efficient little machine represents everything I believe in: sustainable living, a cleaner earth, egalitarianism and community. Also, I can think of no finer group of people to call my peers and mentors.“
As our first paid staff, Susie helped this critical network of bike/ped advocates take root and branch out. Her magnetic enthusiasm and boundless energy were the engines of our People Powered Movement in those critical early stages. In 2002, Susie was tragically struck and killed by a bus, while leading a pedestrian safety workshop. But her inspiration has continued to propel us forward.
We need your help to continue Susie’s legacy and grow the Alliance. Donate today at any level and get a $200 discount toward a tour from VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations!
Building on Susie’s work, the Alliance has made incredible strides in its first 15 years:
- Grown from 12 to 170+ member organizations in 48 U.S states and 4 Canadian provinces
- Hosted dozens of Winning Campaigns Trainings that have launched hundreds of bike/ped campaigns and Leadership Retreats that have connected and energized advocates across the continent
- Produced biennial Benchmarking Reports that have been hailed as a “Bike-Ped State of the Union”
- Awarded more than $500,000 in direct grants, research and technical assistance through our Advocacy Advance program – a dynamic partnership with the League of American Bicyclists
- Assisted dozens of organizations with one-on-one coaching and strategic planning assistance, and connected advocates through Mutual Aid Calls, an interactive listserv and more!
We need your support to continue and expand that work. Please make your own personal pledge to the Alliance today so we can meet our goal of $15,000 by our 15th anniversary this June 30th. Donate at the $1,000 level and Nancy MacKerrow, Susie’s mother, will plant a memorial Susie Tree in your honor. Donate at the $100 level and you’ll received an Alliance commemorative Frisbee. Donate at ANY LEVEL and you’ll get a $200 discount on any trip from VBT Walking and Bicycling Vacations.
In just a few weeks a small group of us will return to the Thunderhead Ranch in Wyoming to both reflect on our incredible successes and identify concrete steps to accelerate that momentum to mainstream biking and walking across North America. Yes, we still face significant challenges, but Susie was right: There is no finer group of people than our People Powered Movement. I know we can count on you to make sure we have the resources to put that vision into action.