Your Club at Work
PBC MERCH: Be sure and keep an eye on the club store. We still have a couple of club T-shirts left and a few club jerseys. There was one Pioneer Century® jersey left at the recent club meeting – a men’s large. ✎ Finally, love those red vests you see many club members wearing? There might be one or two 2XL in the “store” on our PBC website. Remember, those vests run a little small, so it’s recommended that you get the next size up. Even if you don’t identify as 2XL, that may be the size you find to be most comfortable.
Coming soon: Club socks. Attendees at the September club meeting were invited to check out the Sock Guy artwork and share their opinions. Some changes were made pursuant to their comments, and an order… ✎ has been placed. As club members, you will be able to purchase these through our store when they become available. A second version of the socks will include the words “Ride Leader” on them and be gifted to…you guessed it…ride leaders at the annual club banquet in February.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: Point person for our club medical insurance. Not to get bogged down in too many details, but this appointee would help members (mostly) navigate the insurance claim maze if they… ✎ are injured on a club ride. Injured parties can usually fill out the form themselves but may need help getting an official board member signature. Then where does the form go? You’ll need a little guidance, and the board is ready to help you learn, but we are looking for someone to be that in-the-know, helpful person. We don’t have many claims, so it probably won’t take more than a few hours a year. Contact any board member or member at large (login required) to express your interest in being appointed or to ask questions.
CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS: At the December board meeting your elected officials will discuss how much, if any, PBC profits from 2024 can be shared with the local cycling community. ✎
You may recall our own PIONEER CENTURY® in June and then the SEATTLE TO PORTLAND Finish Line in July which each generated income for our club. While we are very capable of lavish expenditures on ourselves, we like to be altruistic and share some of the wealth with others.
On a practical level, these two events allow our club to remain solvent. We’ll pay our bills, provide certain amenities and perks for members as appreciation, maintain our awesome website with professional help, if necessary, pay for a club meeting location where we can meet in person, etc. But again, ideally, we bring in enough funds not only to support ourselves in a comfortable manner but to have surplus to empower us to donate to other like-minded, non-profit organizations that we as a club see as allies.
Your board will soon sit down to allocate some funds to other local organizations. YOU have helped earn these funds. YOU can and should have a say in where donations are sent. The board, in my experience, does not treat our financial resources frivolously. We know you worked hard to earn money for your club. We want YOU as a club member to enjoy the fruits of your labor and partake in the joy of charitable giving.
In the past, these organizations have been the recipients of funds from PBC:
- Friends of the Historic Columbia River Highway
- The Street Trust
- Community Cycling Center
- St. Matthew’s Anglican Church (ride start location)
- Bikes for Humanity PDX
- Bike Index (bike theft data base)
- Columbia River Gorge Kiwanis Club (4th of July Ride – preCovid)
- Bike Farm
- Friends of Stub Stewart State Park and Banks-Vernonia Rails to Trails
More of the same? Ideas for new recipients? Less money for some, more for others? If you are interested, you can ask our club treasurer to send you a spreadsheet with the facts.
Share your thoughts and ideas with a board member so we can make informed decisions in December.
ANOTHER CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION:
Several months ago, Talbot Wallace, Manager of Taborspace, 5441 SE Belmont Street, reached out to us to see if we could help them purchase a public workstand. You’ve… ✎ seen them around – bike repair stations to help folks do a fix on the road and pump up tires. The board set a budget of $800 to assist in the purchase. Talbot got back to us recently to report they had made the purchase and so our treasurer issued a check in the promised amount. I have to share that when I looked online to see what these stations cost, I saw $1,200 to $5,000. Talbot is a shopper and found one for just over $800!
This is one thing I love about our club. We worked hard this summer and raised money. When someone in the community comes to us in need and with a good idea to help other cyclists, we are in a position to help.
We, the board, expressed that we would appreciate some publicity, so Talbot promised to keep us in the loop on the installation and celebration.
Ann Morrow, President