One good place to help out the BTA is with their Safe Routes to School program. If you have a flexible work schedule, you can volunteer to be a leader or sweep on the community rides at the end of the school bike safety classes week. You get to be on the bike, be with kids, and you can wear your team jersey.
-----Original Message-----
From: obra-bounces@list.obra.org [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org] On Behalf Of Susan Otcenas
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 12:21 PM
To: obra@list.obra.org
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Velonews Article
>> I have often wondered how many of the OBRA community contribute to
organizations like the BTA and IMBA? I hope it is higher than I fear it is.
I can answer that. I truly do not mean to be flippant, but the answer is "not enough".
I've been on the BTA board for nearly 5 years. Our ENTIRE membership is smaller than the membership of OBRA. Most BTA members are not racers; they are car-free families, bike commuters, health & environmental activists, recreational riders, bike industry employees/owners, etc.
And yet, it has long puzzled me why there is not more overlap of our memberships. OBRA members make extensive use of the roadways for racing, training and commuting. And, the concerns of our non-racing membership (health, the environment, livability) are quite often also
concerns for members of the OBRA community. I think that Kenji has
made a good argument here on this list for why more OBRA members
*should* be BTA members.
In his words: "The safer the road are the more riders there will be.
The more riders there are, the more racers there will be. You grow the entire pie, ours will grow too. We are lucky to have such an amazing cycling community out here- from advocates, to racers, to commuters, to recreation to industry- we're all in it together. When it comes right down to it- my main message is - get involved. It makes a difference."
The BTA's 2011 annual report does a fantastic job of detailing our work.
http://btaoregon.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/AnnualReport2011.pdf
>From advocacy to education to legislation (local, state & national), the BTA is working on behalf of ALL cyclists in the state of Oregon.
If you are already a member, THANK YOU! If you are not a member, may I
ask that you consider becoming one? As the Chair of the BTA Finance Committee, I can asssure you the every single member dollar is spent very carefully and with great consideration. The BTA does a remarkable amount of work on a small budget.
I'm always available to answer questions, as is Kenji.
Thanks for your time.
Susan
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Susan Otcenas
Team Estrogen, Inc.
www.TeamEstrogen.com
877-310-4592
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Follow our TE fan page on Facebook!
Look for "teamestrogen.com"
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