Pedal To Possibilities

Vital Stats

Andrew L

Syracuse, NY

people helped250
People Doing It 70

The Problem

Of course food, shelter, and clothing are basic necessities. However, initiatives that encourage positive community and healthy activities are incredibly important too. And when confronting homelessness, a free meal or a jacket is not going to break the vicious cycle. It is building confidence that allows one to overcome a drug or alcohol addiction. It is confidence that begins the steps to a brighter future. This confidence is difficult to foster without the backing of a positive community and a healthy body.

Plan of Action

Pedal To Possibilities is a wonderful way to get community members involved in homeless ministry in a way that is neither trivial or threatening. While simply a bike ride, it has the power to be so much more... Since the programs inception in March there have been over 200 participants and 62 graduates. We have recorded a combined 10,765 miles. Graduates have used their bikes to attend appointments, interviews, and for some, the bicycle is now their transportation to and from a stable job. Less quantitative, but perhaps more important, is the positive community that has grown in Syracuse and Rochester based on the bicycle. The Pedal To Possibilities model is absolutely replicable. The hope is to have positive communities popping up around the country, founded on the belief that the bike can be a transformative tool for the homeless.