Dear friend,

Please join me in commemorating the 20th anniversary of September 11.  As we focus on those in need in our own country, caring for our global citizens remains vital--vital for us as compassionate humans and also, as we learned decades ago, because impoverishment can make regions more hospitable to threats.  Afghanistan was the training ground for the 9/11 terrorists.

I am participating in Beyond the Bike, a bike ride from Ground Zero to Boston to benefit Beyond the 11th.  Beyond the 11th began as a 9/11 widow's response to unspeakable loss. Susan Retik’s husband David was killed on the first plane to hit the World Trade Center. Susan, with two young children and pregnant with her third, was buoyed by the outpouring of love and support she received from friends and strangers.  In grieving and working to understand the roots of 9/11, Susan learned that widows in Afghanistan lose all resources and social standing.  Moreover, they have no insurance or safety net, and 85% are illiterate; that cycle is self-perpetuating as their children then have no access to education.

Afghanistan still ranks as the worst place in the world to be a woman (Time magazine, Dec. 8, 2018). After decades of war, terrorism, and insurgency, women and children suffer disproportionately.  Susan’s effort to heal led her to help her peers in Afghanistan. She established Beyond the 11th, whose more than $1 million in grants has helped Afghan widows develop sustainable livelihoods, thereby supporting their families and educating their children.  But the need persists.

That is why I am fundraising and riding from Ground Zero in New York City to Boston over three days in September with 40 cyclists. We ride in honor of the victims and the rescuers who lost their lives Sept. 11, 2001. We ride to celebrate the countless acts of courage and humanity that have marked the past 20 years.  We ride to enable others to improve their lives and their children’s lives.

Being born a woman in Afghanistan should not be a perilous fate made hopeless by being widowed. Please consider commemorating the 20th anniversary of 9/11 by donating to my Beyond the Bike effort. Your gift is tax deductible and may be doubled if your company has a matching gift program.

 Thank you for the work we are doing together.

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Beyond the Bike, a 3-day 260-mile bike ride from Ground Zero in NYC to Boston, is the signature fundraising event of Beyond the 11th.

Beyond the Bike 2021 will mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, when co-founder Susan Retik’s husband was killed on the first plane to hit the World Trade Center. Together with Susan, we will ride in honor of all the victims and rescuers who lost their lives that day. But we will also ride in celebration of the countless acts of courage and humanity that have marked the decade since.

Beyond the Bike is so much more than just a bike ride. We begin at the memorial pools at the site of Ground Zero, make our way out of NYC through the rolling hills of CT eventually arriving back in Boston. The 3 days are physically challenging which makes the accomplishment so rewarding. But it’s the people who make the experience so memorable. The small community of riders (we cap it at 45), the incredible support team, and all of the volunteers along the way make this fundraiser the best thing you’ll do all year…

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BEYOND THE 11th GO TO WWW.BEYONDTHE11TH.ORG

Beyond the 11th was founded nearly 20 years ago as an extraordinary response to unspeakable loss: Compassion.

Susan Retik was expecting her third child when the last thing she ever expected happened -- her husband David was killed on the first plane to hit the World Trade Center.  But Susan did not give in to grief.  Instead she launched Beyond the 11th, a foundation dedicated to uplifting the lives of Afghan widows -- among the poorest and most destitute in the world.

Today, the organization she co-founded has transformed the lives of thousands of widows -- and their children -- with life-saving education and job training programs.

Beyond the 11th transcends acts of hate with acts of humanity, acts of despair with acts of ingenuity, and acts of fear with acts of self-reliance.  Its embrace of Afghan widows - sisters across the world - is helping to spread peace hand to hand and heart to heart, one widow at a time.

"I believe education and economic stability are antidotes to despair and extremism.  By teaching Afghan women how to support themselves, we help unlock a world of better choices for them and their children - and that benefits us all."  -- Susan Retik

Where the Money Goes

The fundraising you do for Beyond the Bike has an immediate and powerful impact on the lives of Afghan widows.  Beyond the 11th partners with international aid organizations like CARE, and NGOs like Arzu and BPeace, to provide Afghan widows literacy classes and training in a variety of entrepreneurial ventures.  Graduates of our programs have started many life-sustaining businesses:

·      Raising and selling eggs in their villages

·      Managing dairy cows and selling the milk

·      Hand stitching regulation soccer balls for sale around the world

·      Creating one of a kind hand knotted rugs, distributed by Arzu

·      Investing in and managing Savings & Loans programs, where women lend to women for life's necessities such as education and healthcare

• anonymous donated $4,000.00 September 24, 2021
• Anne Melvin and Daniel Sullivan donated $500.00 September 27, 2021
• Lyndsay Charron donated $500.00 September 8, 2021 ... "Honoring the loss and sacrifices made 9/11"
• Beth Sher donated $250.00 September 10, 2021 ... "For the past and the future. Safe journeys. "
• Matt Pawa donated $200.00 September 9, 2021
• Glenn Pransky and Terry Snyder donated $150.00 July 13, 2021
• David and Penelope Grossman donated $100.00 September 13, 2021
• Eduardo donated $100.00 September 11, 2021 ... "Worthy cause. Thanks for doing this. Eduardo."
• Joanne Fisher Kubiak donated $100.00 September 11, 2021 ... "Good luck Ellen!"
• Weston Owl donated $100.00 September 10, 2021 ... "Go 'cats"
• Alanna Muldoon donated $100.00 September 10, 2021
• John and Catherine Connolly donated $100.00 September 10, 2021
• Colleen Kettle donated $100.00 September 10, 2021 ... "Safe travels!"
• Mary Worthington donated $100.00 September 10, 2021 ... "Go Ellen! Great cause. "
• Grahame & Karen Wells donated $100.00 August 28, 2021
• Liv donated $36.00 September 13, 2021 ... "So proud of you and all the others riders. Grateful to be able to share your return with you!"
• Peter G Hill donated $36.00 September 10, 2021 ... "Thanks for doing this"
• Susan donated $20.00 March 12, 2021 ... "Thank you for participating - this ride wouldn't be the same without you!!!"