That’s right Red Leader. Almost there! Stay on Target!

You’ll be o.k.

And, while I may not have had the Deathstar to blow up, I did have a research paper due yesterday. It was a ton of work, but I had a great time. Really. I'd like to compare it to having a bunch of puzzle pieces and dumping them out onto a table, and then having to put them together again. I actually quite surprised that no one resource had really compiled the rich history of nonprofits in our cycling community. I think it would make for a great lecturing piece. Any ways, I wanted to leave you with an summary of what I learned from the paper. So, here it is.

"Nonprofits have shared over a century of history with the cycling community. Organizations repeatedly met the needs of the cyclist when collaboration and advocacy was necessary to address inherent challenges of our car-centric society. Yet it wasn’t until the environmentalist movement and the advent of the mountain bike that two dynamic subcultures converged, adding momentum to an already burgeoning cycling lifestyle. With the transportation funding beginning to trickle to the cycling infrastructure, clubs and organizations recognized the power of advocacy. Signaled by the ISTEA of 1991 the role of advocacy and lobbying amongst bike nonprofits was to irrevocably change. Cycling’s new face of advocacy was cemented with the America Bikes coalition. This collective represented some of the most influential nonprofits from the world of cycling. With newfound collaboration, advocates realized an opportunity to add clear, undisputable quantification to benefits supported by previously unsubstantiated, anecdotal evidence. The Benchmark Project was introduced in 2003, and continues to define and affirm the advantages of active transportation. Backed by a government that understands these advantages and demonstrates that comprehension by funding cycling infrastructure, bike nonprofits are poised to take the next evolutionary step. Loek Heseman’s report reveals the importance of tapping into cycling’s social relevance. What capacity nonprofits have in the future of the cycling community relies on the activation of the bike culture."

If you could cram ~10 pages of cycling nonprofit goodness down to a paragraph, that was it. Whew.

So, is this the last post you'll see from me? Nah. Count on me chiming in from time to time, in hopes to elucidate the role of bike in nonprofits, nonprofits in bikes, and Magnum P.I. in shorts.

-michael

ps. And, yes Celeste, now we do the dance of joy.

Back in teh days...

I sit at today’s blog fully prepared to muse the intricacies of foundations and their benevolent gifts to our society. And, to be honest now that I’ve mentioned it, I really don’t want to deny you, the intrepid reader, the exercise your noggin undoubtedly needs. But, I feel that inevitable crush that happens near the end of each term. It’s that anxious yet pleasant feeling relating all of our work up to this point. That moment of sublime that flickers, and we, in its fleeting warmth, somehow experience wholeness.

Call it nostalgia. I dunno.

We’ve had a good run in PPPM 280. Nonprofits. I mean, whoa. Right? Well, in a way, yes. It is pretty mind blowing. Most people unfamiliar with the nonprofit sector really have no grasp of its sheer depth. I’ve come to learn that the nonprofit sector is pretty dern pervasive in our culture. I’d venture to say without it, our country would be seriously lacking. Admittedly, up to about three months ago I was one of those people. Now, those who know me must be thinking, “Dir sir, I do believe you are mistaken. Surely, you must remember some PPPM 480 (nonprofit management)?”

Hmmm. Well, yes, and no. Yes I do remember 480. And, yes, there was some crossover. But, really from when we started this class, I feel like I have a much better understanding of the big picture of things. Actually, in most respects I found having taken the courses out of succession contributed to that understanding. Having the intro class allowed me to step back and utilize some of my current knowledge to clarify how nonprofits are at work within our lives.

Memories. The relics of 280 I will not shortly forget in no particular order.

#1. Bob and his diligent use of PowerPoint. In all honesty, it was some of the most engaging use of slides I’ve experienced. He is truly the sharpest tack to wield a clicker.

#2 Sarah and her invaluable words of wisdom and, at times, diverging perspective. Also, kudos to Sarah for her relentless efforts in bringin’ back the use of the word “homies”.

#3 Greg and his bike- responsible for making tardiness stylish again.

#4 Ted and his elucidation of a colonial Oregon. And, his bike too.

#5 Julia. For clarifying discussions through her limitless library of anecdotal wisdom.

#6 Each and everyone who gave so much of themselves to this class to further our discussions, and inspire thought.

I’d like to talk a bit about class. I’ll forgo the obvious pun, and confirm that yes indeed, I am talking about PPPM 280. Those following closely from the internets may wish to go back to watching reruns of Simon & Simon on hulu, but for those interested in my thoughts about the class structure itself, please follow along. For one, I’d like to give mad props to the blog. This blog proved to be a great tool to unload what we as students, because of the class, were caused to think. Two things come to mind about the blog. First, the blog just works. It allows a more casual atmosphere and gives people a chance to grow out of their usual inhibitions. Secondly, I do think that other students checking in on our work helps keep things from getting too crazy- shirtless Sellecks aside. Another aspect that proved very insightful was the guest speakers. I feel we were really treated to some great presentations. Having that human element applied to an otherwise, bureaucratic, and at times dull field, helped inspire us. But, lastly this course wouldn’t be able to cover such breadth as it did without the guidance of both Bob and Sarah.

Thanks You!