Hello and welcome to my page.
I truly cannot believe that we are coming up on the 20th anniversary of September 11th. I have lots of feelings around the anniversary (which I'm going to keep private), but I would like to share about my relationship with Beyond the Bike.
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 my father was killed on the first plane to hit the World Trade Center. 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.
I have been to every Beyond the Bike event in some form since its beginning, and my relationship to the fundraiser has changed as I’ve grown up.
My early memories are of my grandparents watching us kids for the weekend, while Mom and others rode their bikes from New York to Boston. At the end, we would get to meet them at the finish! The celebration at the end for the riders seemed to change each year. Once, we met the riders outside a Dover-Sherborn school. Another time, the ride finished at the Boston Commons. It felt like a party that everyone was invited to! While I couldn’t fully grasp what it was the riders had just accomplished, I celebrated their being home alongside the others.
In 2016, on the 15th anniversary of September 11th, I realized a life-long dream of completing the three day bike ride from New York to Boston. I gained an understanding of the physical challenge that my parents had been accomplishing all these years - it was an enormous personal feat. The experience was incredibly emotional, but the feeling I remember most was the support from and connection with the community of riders. I was a senior in high school. The rest of the 40 riders were adults (real life working people). Despite the many differences, I felt nothing but included and respected in the group. More than the physical riding, I remember the conversations I had and the friendships I made.
The environment was so welcoming in 2016, that I decided to support riders in Beyond the Bike 2019. This meant that I planned, organized, and executed water stops and first aid kits and bathrooms and any other needs riders may have. It was very fun. We drove our mini-van along the route, unloaded, set up tent, table, and food, and then chearleaded as riders stopped. With hoots and hollers and lots of excited jumps, I gave as much as I could to help the riders through to the end. I learned so much from my involvement that year. One lesson, support snowballs; the more you give, the more you get, the more you give…
From designing bike jerseys, to organizing food into a mini-van, to conquering the Connecticut hills, to being with my family, I have loved every second of my Beyond the Bike experiences. As I set out to complete the physical challenge once more, I ask that you join me in commemorating the 20th anniversary of September 11th.
The case for championing women’s rights in Afghanistan cannot be overstated. Afghan widows lose all social standing and have no insurance or safety net. 85% of these women are illiterate. According to Time magazine (Dec. 8, 2018), Afghanistan still ranks as the worst place in the world to be a woman. After decades of war, terrorism, and insurgency, women and children still suffer disproportionately.
But there is good news to report. While the needs are enormous, the programs that Beyond the 11th invests in are working. Since 2003, Beyond the 11th has made over $1,000,000 in grants that directly assist Afghan widows in developing sustainable livelihoods. Beyond the 11th has helped thousands of forgotten women learn job skills so that they can support their families and educate their children—the dream of mothers everywhere.
I would be honored and grateful if you would support me with a donation. Your gift is tax deductible and could be doubled if your company has a matching gift program. Your contribution will go far… and will make every mile all the more meaningful.
Thank you.
Molly