BENEFITING: Homestart, Inc.
EVENT DATE: Feb 29, 2012
DEADLINE TO GIVE: Apr 30, 2012
AMOUNT RAISED OFFLINE: $40.00
HERE'S THE STORY:

ICYCLE @ 1 International Place, Boston Ma. 6:30 am - 6:00 pm.   Wednesday, February 29, 2012.  Official Sponsor: Fitness International

To Register:

Step 1:  E-Mail Guardia@homestart.org with what hour you would like to ride.

Step 2:  Click on 'Join Team' then 'Sign Up' to create an online fundraising page. 

You must receive an e-mail back from HomeStart confirming that a spot is available for the hour you'd like.  If you raise money before an hour is confirmed for you, you do so at the risk of raising money without having the chance to ride.  Currently, space is only available at 6:30 am, 7:30 am, 8:30 am, 9:30 am and 12:30 pm.  More space will likely become available after 2/1.

The minimum to ride a bike for an hour is $250, but the average cost (for HomeStart) to keep a family in their home this winter is $700.  If you raise $700, because of you, a family will be in their own home this winter and not a shelter.  You can raise money through Crowdrise, bring it to the event, or mail it to 105 Chauncy St. Suite 502 Boston, Ma. 02111. 

If you are riding as part of a company team, your hour is listed below and you must register with your Team Captain:  

• TEAM INCOME RESEARCH & MANAGEMENT 7:30 AM
• TEAM ICON ARCHITECTURE - 8:30AM
• TEAM ROPES & GRAY- 9:30AM
• TEAM DEUTSCHE BANK - 10:30AM
• TEAM FIDELITY  - 11:30AM
• TEAM JOHN HANCOCK - 12:30 PM
• TEAM EASTERN BANK - 1:30PM  
• TEAM MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY - 2:30PM              
• TEAM UBS - 4:00PM
• TEAM UBS - 5:00 PM

Top Riders are listed below just click on 'see all.'  ____________________________________________________

What is HomeStart?

HomeStart ends and prevents homelessness. 

If you're homeless, HomeStart is your realtor.  Much like a real estate agency, HomeStart helps you find permanent housing by assessing your background, financial ability, and a variety of other factors.  But once HomeStart puts you in a home, they make sure you stay there.  HomeStart provides stabalization services like money management, life skills training, etc. to make sure that you re-integrate into the community and never become homeless again. 

That's how HomeStart ends current homelessness, but HomeStart also prevents it before it starts.  If you're on the verge of losing your home, HomeStart offers emergency assistance that helps you stay in the home and avoid costly taxpayer shelters.  Usually HomeStart can keep a family in a home for $700, while moving that family into a shelter, could cost taxpayers upwards of $40,000 (nevermind the moral cost.) 

So you ready to help HomeStart end homelessness?  Then sign up, raise at least $250, and let's see if you're as tough as some of our clients.  Also while you're riding, just think, you're only outside for an hour, imagine if you were homeless. 

"I hate the cold and I really hate the breeze.  When you're homeless, you can't even feel yourself you're so cold.  It's all you can think about.  And when the wind blows, you want to be anywhere else but outside" 

"I was talking to a client the other day and he told me how grateful he was for HomeStart. HomeStart helped him get his first place, manage his money, go to school, but he was the most grateful to HomeStart for getting him out of the cold."

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For general and sponsorship information please contact Anthony Guardia, Director of Development, at Guardia@homestart.org and 617 542 0338 x. 230.

Sponsorship opportunities include: company hour, signage on a bike, large signage at the event, and official sponsor of the event.