Bike for Brady
The Bike for Brady: Sunday, June 7 - 7am to 2pm
Come to support Bradyʼs mission of building relationships: join the ride or come just for the block party. A parade for the kids starts at 12:30pm and ends at the bouncy slide. Bring a dish to pass or just show up and get to know the neighbors sharing salads and desserts. This is your chance to cross that invisible line separating our neighborhoods, to develop a friendship that takes the first step toward freedom and healing in the divided city of Syracuse. Bike for Brady supports Pedals to Possibilities and other programs offered to local residents on the south side. The Ride offers bike routes of multiple lengths, from 8 miles through the city, to 26 or 52 miles into the countryside. There are route markings and water stops for the longer rides.
Pedals To Possibilities makes a positive change:
It is hard to understand the importance of a bicycle to a man who has nothing. Transportation means a lot to people struggling to get by on the streets. When I wash the feet of men at the shelter, I see callouses and wear, the effect of walking the streets day after day. The homeless shelter requires everyone to leave in the morning and not to return until evening. What do they do all day? When asked, the men spoke of their “routes” through the city: where to find free food or a cup of coffee. But what to do while the rest of the world is busy bustling along at a steadily increasing pace? Do they try to forget the work and family they never knew or that they left behind? In stormy weather, do they discover a bridge, a garage or an abandoned building in which to take shelter? I know that some choose to stand on a street corner holding a sign expressing a hope for work or for food. Perhaps the aimlessness of it all might catch up with a man, and he decides to take a chance on himself, to make a change.
Big changes are tough, but little changes might be manageable - just one healthy decision that could turn his life around. A Brady program, Pedals to Possibilities, provides camaraderie and support for that small, incremental change. Rather than stop under the bridge for a smoke this morning, he might head around the corner from the shelter to Brady Faith Center on South Ave. He might join a group heading out on bikes for a brief ride in the city - followed by coffee and prayer. If he makes that choice often enough, about 10 times - enough to form a new habit, he is rewarded with a free bike. Transportation and affirmation are rewards that reinforce a small daily choice, a step toward freedom and self-respect.
Join Holy Cross Parishʼs June Day of Service at the Bike Ride for Brady and the Block Party! Call Beth to sign up or go to the website: http://bradyfaithcenter.org/news-events/ride/