Support.
It is a lot of work to gather bicycles and people. Volunteering is super helpful. There are lots of ways that folks can help even if they don’t have much experience:
If you are an experienced cyclist, volunteering to sweep or staying at the back of a group ride to ensure no one is left behind or in trouble is super helpful.
If you an experienced cyclist and have wilderness first aid experience or certifications, simply being on the ride with us and making it known is helpful.
If you have a desire to do more, show up to some events and let’s get to know each other and figure out where your experience can best fit in.
Sometimes the best way to show support is to be silently at the ready. Making sure that while your experience is known while providing enough space for existing event coordinators can do their work is also amazingly helpful.
Equipment Donations
We accept monetary donations as well as donations of usable equipment.
While we aren’t currently actively seeking equipment donations, we are still interested in hearing from you if you think you have something usable for us.
Usable equipment for us are:
Bicycle Helmets: Bicycle specific helmets that came from an independent bicycle retail store that are not expired. Helmets sold outside of independent bicycle retail stores are often subject to recalls or do not meet the safety standards that provide proper protection when bicycle riding. They also will often be close to, or at their expiration date and not be useful for very long. These helmets cost money to recycle, so double check those parameters. If you aren’t sure, the folks who accept equipment donations for us can answer questions and inspect products for you.
Bicycles: Because the nature of some of our bicycle rides can be demanding, bicycles should have come from an independent bicycle dealer within the past 7 years and should be in good working order. We don’t have the resources or time to part out a bicycle with some good parts on it. And we have a good sized fleet of working bikes that take up precious storage space. So a bicycle that needs some work is probably best donated to your local coop. If you aren’t sure if the bicycle will be useful to Pride Rides, you can bring it by Vermont Bicycle Shop for inspection. You can also email Darren at Vermont Bicycle Shop with photos.
Other Outdoors Equipment: We do other outdoorsy stuff too. If you have something that you think may be helpful to us, reach out! Let us know. Anything bicycle related you can email both Darren at Vermont Bicycle Shop or you can email us directly. Anything outside of the bicycle scope of things you can email us directly.
How Businesses and Organizations Can Help.
A message about support and ally-ship from Pride Rides ally and business owner, Darren Ohl
As an individual every small bit is important and helpful to pride rides and the LGBTQIA++ movement. Putting a sticker on your car, donating a dollar. These are important and impactful actions and they are valuable. As a business, it is unacceptable to simply put a rainbow on it. This is called Rainbow Washing. When a business chooses to put a rainbow on something they are taking from the community they are aiming to support, they are putting a logo in a space where a valuable non-profit may be trying to garner attention. Worse yet, they are advertising without providing a return value. They gain more than they give. And in a marginalized community this only serves to marginalize that community further.
Why, as a business, would there be more expected of us?
Because every business is a team of people. Even my own business at the very beginning was a team. My wife worked with me at our shop every free minute she wasn’t working her own full time job. Members of my community chipped in, customers became friends, friends helped more. No business is ever started alone, no business ever works alone, no business is successful without the help of a team. In fact, the smaller the business, the more you will get out of diving all the way into the deep end of ally-ship. You will learn so much about how to run a better business. More is expected because more is rewarded, and when you handle that responsibility with proper respect, the reward is greater yet.
So many times I’ve seen organizations and businesses approach Rainbow Bridge Community Center or Pride Rides and say, “We’d love to have you join us for an event.”
That’s a nice thought. At the same time I’ve also seen that statement turn into putting all the work onto the organization it is supposed to benefit. And that’s just lame ol’ tokenism.
If we create an event or a space to support organizations, those orgs should be treated like rock stars. You want a Pride Rides event? Great, put together a play book, organize your event and ensure you do your homework. Make sure it fits and fills the needs of Pride Rides first. Make sure that the Pride Rides crew can show up, feel like royalty, and have a good time. I like to make sure if I have a question for the organization I a supporting I ask in a way that puts the work on me. In 2023 Rasputitsa did exactly this. They created a pre-ride event, they organized lodging, they made sure that Pride Rides and Kris were treated like guests and royalty. They provided the support and the soap box that propped Kris up to a place where he could spread the message and the work of Pride Rides to a wide audience. I’ve never been more proud of the work my friend has done and I am so happy to see such a large Vermont event understand and celebrate the value of his work.
It is one example of many that we can all observe and learn from. It is tip of the iceberg as far as the work to be done as an ally. All that back end messy work is up to us as allies and supporters. If you have a rainbow sticker, if you put a rainbow on your shirt, if you create a Pride supporting logo, make sure that it directly supports a pride organization. And “providing exposure” or “promoting” is not good support. Want a sticker? Great, sell it for a dollar, give the dollar to Rainbow Bridge. Want to make a pair of rainbow gloves? Great, all of the profit dollars should go to Pride Rides. Making a t-shirt? Human Rights Campaign has a great resource to ensure you are following the right standards of design, and make sure all profits go to support the cause. Putting a pride or rainbow logo on something and selling it isn’t representation, it’s theft. Those orgs have merchandise too. If you sell a pride related item where they might have sold one you’ve taken away their ability to raise funds with that item. When I create a new design for a hat or a bicycle jersey and sell it in my business I like to make sure I am centering that organization or cause and not taking from it. With an amazing team of people working with me, we can remain diligent in our efforts and flexible and willing to learn as we progress. The work and the role of an ally is always growing and always changing. Here are three questions I ask myself, and you can ask yourself if you are unsure about the quality of your work:
When in doubt ask yourself:
Am I doing the work? The answer should be yes.
Am I taking any recognition? The answer should be no.
How can I do better? Always look for an answer.
Make a Financial Contribution
