ALLIANCE FOR BIKING AND WALKING INC

What if nobody stood up for biking and walking?

What if nobody spoke up for crosswalks, sidewalks and bike lanes at public hearings? What if nobody organized bike rides or group walks? What if nobody ran Safe Routes to School programs or provided bicycle education classes?

What if all the bicycle and pedestrian advocates went silent… for even one day?

It’s my personal mission to make sure that never happens — but I need your help.

I’m writing to ask YOU to take a stand for biking and walking by making a gift to the Alliance for Biking & Walking today.

The Alliance is the only national organization solely dedicated to giving advocates the tools they need to transform their communities — your community — into great places to walk and bike.

Since 1996, our coalition has grown from just 12 to more than 190 member organizations across North America. In that short time, biking and walking advocacy has evolved from just a few scattered voices to a large, unified, professional movement. But that progress is built on your support.

When you contribute to the Alliance, you directly support leaders like…

… Tom Ezell, from the Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas… Tom attended an Alliance Winning Campaigns Training and learned the skills and strategies necessary to win a campaign for a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge in Little Rock. Thanks to BACA’s efforts, people on foot and bicycle have a safe way to cross the Arkansas River.“We were privileged to be the first to cross over the bridge,” Tom says, “after former President Bill Clinton himself!”

… Elizabeth Stampe, executive director of Walk San Francisco… This fall, Walk San Francisco celebrated a major victory in a groundbreaking campaign to reduce the speed limits around more than 200 schools. “Creating 15-mph-speed zones around our schools is reclaiming streets as safe space to walk and bike,” Elizabeth says. “I'm eager to share this campaign idea with other advocates around the country — through the Alliance.”

… Alison Hill Graves, executive director of the Community Cycling Center in Portland. Alison attended the Alliance’s Executive Leadership Retreat. There, she made an important connection. She met Pasqualina Azzarello, a leader at Recycle-A-Bicycle in New York City, who also provides bicycles to underserved and low-income youth. “Meeting Pasqualina was so inspiring,” Alison says, “We understand each other's organizations and we have a common goal.”

Right now, our movement is at a critical moment. At the federal, state and local level, funding and programs for biking and walking are under attack. Now, more than ever, we need strong advocates with access to the best information and most up-to-date resources.

Every dollar you donate to the Alliance will go directly to important events and critical resources that no other organization can provide, like:

• Winning Campaigns Trainings in cities across the continent
• The Alliance 2012 Leadership Retreat: A must-attend event that gives advocates a chance to share best practices, solve collective challenges and reignite their passion
• Our 2012 Benchmarking Report, which compiles biking and walking data from all 50 states — a key tool for advocates to make the case for biking and walking
• On-call coaching and strategic planning assistance from Alliance experts
• Funding, resources and technical assistance for grassroots organizations through our Advocacy Advance initiative with the League of American Bicyclists
• More than 20 Mutual Aid conference calls, an interactive listserv… and so much more!

I’m so honored to serve our grassroots leaders, but they can’t do it alone. Please, make your pledge today!

At the start of this letter, I asked you to imagine: What if nobody stood up for biking and walking. Well, consider a different scenario: What if everybody stood up for biking and walking?

It starts with you. Let’s find out. Please donate today!

Sincerely,

Jeff Miller, President/CEO