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Solidarity Rides
Ideas and Tips
Ideas and Tips from around the country for solidarity rides and events…
- Begin a collection of energy bars and sports drinks in your parish, office, or school to donate to the cyclists and to raise awareness about poverty in the USA.
- Ask local bicycle shops to donate items.
- Donate frequent flier miles or do a diocesan/parish fundraiser to help sponsor one of the core team of riders who will pay their own expenses and give up two months of their personal time to cycle close to 4000 miles across the USA in order to raise awareness about poverty and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development CCHD).
- Put information in the parish bulletins about the Brake the Cycle of poverty tour. Sample bulletin announcements.
- Host a children’s bike rodeo during the day with an older-audience educational event in the evening. Ask parishes to donate a bicycle as a raffle item.
- Organize a 5-15 mile diocesan “wheel” event to coincide with the CCHD national bicycle tour.
- Get priests, men and women religious, CCHD funded group members, and parishioners of all ages out and on their bikes, roller blades, scooters, and skateboards. Identify a local sports celebrity, radio or TV personality or city/state political figure who will endorse the ride. Give every rider a Brake the Cycle water bottle or t-shirt and a packet of information on CCHD and on poverty in the USA and the state.
- Set up an educational booth, using Brake the Cycle materials provided by the national office, at the parish picnic, carnival, or Fourth of July celebration; host the booth with the youth group, Knights of Columbus, or other groups.
- Plan a Brake the Cycle solidarity event in conjunction with a diocesan summer youth event, conference or camp.
- Host a “teach-in” about poverty using a template provided by the national office.
- Think big! Do a diocesan wide or statewide Brake the Cycle ride or event. Gather a few excited volunteers to find cyclists who will ride from different parts of the diocese to a designated city, perhaps the state Capital. Recruit volunteers and riders from parishes and the many organizations and agencies within the Catholic Church, including the state Catholic Conference. Use the ride to not only raise awareness of poverty in the USA and CCHD, but also to assist with a policy issue or piece of legislation supported by the Catholic Conference.
- Work with the diocesan communications office and the diocesan newspaper to do Brake the Cycle media outreach.
- Organize a “bring-a-friend” interfaith educational event about United States poverty and CCHD.
- Work with the Boy Scouts to organize a solidarity event, fundraiser, or food collection for Brake the Cycle. This could be an excellent project for scouts, especially those who working to attain Eagle Scout rank.
- Engage the (Arch) bishop and/or auxiliary bishops by scheduling your solidarity event around open time on their calendars.
- Contact as many parishioners and diocesan offices as possible, such as:
- Youth minister and young adult coordinator
- Men’s/women’s clubs
- Knights of Columbus
- Diocesan peace and justice office
- State Catholic Conference
- Parish social ministers
- Parish social concerns committees
- Catholic Charities and Social Service agencies
- Catechists and religious educators
- Teachers
- Pastors and priests
- Religious communities of men and women
- CCHD funded groups
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| Learn more at PovertyUSA.org |
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Route & Schedule 
