World Bicycle Relief
Some of you may have overheard my discussion with Anthony in Burlingame some months ago. We were arguing about the wisdom of my decision to no longer follow Judaism, the religion of my family. Ironically, the largest influence on this decision came during my Bar Mitzvah over five years ago. When my Rabbi demanded that I continue the Jewish tradition throughout my adult life. I politely refused.
There is, however, one Jewish tradition that have deemed compatible with my life. That is to give at least 10% of ones annual income to charity. As I have been working for the past month to save money for college (and buy a single speed), I have been looking for a charity to sponsor. IMBA was the first that came to mind and I promptly wrote a check and located a postage stamp. But variety is the spice of life and to give more money to the same organization would be decidedly bland. I found World Bicycle relief on SRAM’s website and was immediately impressed with the concept. They buy and distribute bikes to those most in need in Africa and those countries affected by the Tsunami in the Indian Ocean. I encourage everyone to check out http://www.worldbicyclerelief.org and donate what you can. Sixty-one dollars buys a bike for a person who would otherwise not be able to travel to school or work, but more importantly the bikes provide for a hell of a lot of fun.
-Jake Chase-Lubitz
P.S. For those who are curious to know who won the argument, Anthony broke a chain and a derailleur and came back to a car with an empty battery during the course of our discussion. God has cast his vote.