As many of you know, the Durham Bike Co-op launched an ambitious capital campaign earlier in the year with a goal to raise $50,000 by December 31 in order to relocate our community bike workshop to Duke Park. This felt like a daunting task for such a small, all-volunteer organization when we started. Our treasurer, Debbie West, convinced us that it could be done and we marched forward to make our little dream a reality. This fall, we are happy to announce that with the gracious support of many generous donors, the Co-op has hit our target and then some!
October was an unprecedented month of absolutely awesome news and great hope for
the future of the Co-op. The first major turning point came when an anonymous donor offered a $25,000 gift to the Co-op in mid October. This absolutely unexpected news was pure magic to the ears of the fundraising team, as the gift shored up a campaign that was just over 1/3 of the way to our goal until recently. The more-than-generous donation from our secret admirer brought the capital campaign very close to the home plate and breathed new life into our effort.
Shortly after learning of the anonymous gift, the Co-op got word from
Burt's Bees Foundation that we were awarded a grant of $9,500 for pollinator-friendly landscaping at the Co-op's new home in Duke Park. This funding will bring an awesome added benefit to Co-op and Duke Park patrons, with great beauty and educational opportunities for all to enjoy! The beekeepers among us are absolutely thrilled about this project and can't wait to start planning and planting for our buzzing buddies to join the new Co-op site :)
Believe it or not, the great news doesn't stop there! In late October, the fundraising committee also heard from
Tarwheels Bicycle Club that we were awarded a generous grant with proceeds from their recent BikeFest event. The annual BikeFest ride in August was attended by several Co-op members and patrons and was so much fun! We are eternally grateful for all the support offered by the Tarwheels in so many forms during the course of our fundraising initiative.
Last but not least, the Co-op is also super excited to have been awarded a $3,500 grant by
Duke University's Community Care Fund to help fund youth programming. With Duke's generous support, the Co-op will now be able to enhance our youth earn-a-bike programming and offer safety equipment to as many young people as we can possibly reach with lights, helmets, and locks in the next year!
We are truly blown away by the faith you all have placed in our mission and for the generosity expressed in all the donations of money, time, energy, and goodwill!
A hearty thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Co-op this year.
The Co-op's FUNdraising committee plans to keep up the good work until we are well-situated in our new home, and next steps include hosting an awesome
Trivia Night event at the Atomic Fern on Nov 11 @ 8pm to socialize and celebrate! Bring your game face and mad trivia skillz!!!!!
