Here’s a brief message from Beth, encouraging you to visit her Fundraising Page to pledge your support:

From June 12-17, my friend, Linda Cortes, and I will be bicycling 412 miles through some of Colorado’s most scenic and challenging countryside. 6 days, 6 unique mountain passes, and over 22,000 feet of vertical gain. Whew!! Hopefully, no lightening or broken parts! Explore our route on the RTR web site at www.ridetherockies.com

Our team name is the Pedal Pushers, and we’re psyched! We’ve already put in a month of training, and we will have pushed our pedals over 1,400 miles even before we see the starting line in Crested Butte!

Help any way you can. No gift is too small; no gift is too large! Your generosity toward EarthLinks will sustain me up those mountain passes in ways you’ll never know. And long after the endorphins fade away, your support will help sustain those who face a much harder ride every day.

Join us in Georgetown for ice cream at the Tour-End Celebration on June 17th! Call me for details!

Thanks again — keep pedaling!
Beth Lindroos

Colorado Gives Day is a new initiative to increase philanthropy in Colorado through online giving. Presented by Community First Foundation and FirstBank, CO Gives Day will take place during a 24-hour period starting at 12 a.m. on Wednesday, December 8, 2010. Donations will be accepted through the website GivingFirst.org, with a goal of raising $1 million in one day for Colorado charities.

To donate on Colorado Gives Day (or any other day!) simply click the Donate Now button on the right side of this page, or go to www.GivingFirst.org and enter EarthLinks in the Keywords or Charity Name field and press Search. Then click on the orange Donate Now button next to the EarthLinks’ name and enter the donation information as directed. You can donate with a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express) or bank account and need not create an account on GivingFirst.org.

UPDATE: If you would like to give to EarthLinks on Colorado Gives Day, but don’t want to wait until December 8, you can now schedule a one-time donation that will qualify for the incentive! After visiting our GivingFirst Profile and clicking Donate Now, simply follow these steps to schedule your donation:

1. On the checkout screen, enter a dollar amount.
2. Click “Is this a recurring donation? Yes.”
3. Select “First installment date: 12/08/2010.”
4. For “When should this donation end?,” select: 12/10/2010.
5. Click “Add to cart.”

Our 6^th annual fundraising event, “Bee the Change – In Support of EarthLinks!” was held on September 24, 2009 at the Park Hill Golf Club, where 125 guests enjoyed a spirited evening of fellowship, good food, fun bidding on a wide variety of donated items, and zesty live music by the Prairie Chickens. The event raised over $20,000. to support our programs. Thanks to all who attended, donated items, and helped sponsor “Bee the Change!” Click here to see photos of the event.

We established a new award in honor of EarthLinks’ co-foundresses, Bette Ann Jaster, OP,  and Cathy Mueller, SL, and presented this to them with moving tributes in gratitude for their vision, creativity and contributions to EarthLinks.  Bette Ann and Cathy have both moved on to take other leadership positions in their respective religious orders, Cathy in 2006 and Bette Ann in 2009. The Foundress’ Award will be given in future years to others “who provide outstanding service to EarthLinks.”  To read more about our history…

Other highlights of the evening were hearing about the life-changing impacts of our programs from one of the GreenFingers’ participants, Darlene B., and announcing the winners of the Bee Box competition. We received 12 extremely creative and diverse entries in our first-ever contest to build and donate Bee Boxes, which were auctioned at Bee the Change, with the award-winning designs sold in the live auction. Thanks to all our contestants! See all the wonderful entries and prize-winners here.

The winners are: Best Use of Recycled and Reused Materials went to Jane Belanger for her gourd bee box, with Runners-Up in this category to Terry and Pam Schmidt for their striped bee boxes. The Youngest Builder was Isabel Brunner, age 13, for her high-rise bee box built with her Mom and sister. Best Family Collaboration was awarded to the Hesser family for their Gnome Invasion, and the award for Outstanding Design went to Mark Olsen for his Bee Block Douglas Fir bee box.

We also unveiled new EarthLinks products, including the EarthLinks’ bee box design

EarthLinks Bee Boxes

Rain/Irrigation Barrels

and Rain/Gravity-Irrigation Barrels.   To purchase these or any of are our products click here…

Over 60 businesses and dozens of individuals donated items for the auction. Major sponsors for the event were Centura Health,  Roger Nittler & Co., CPA,  the St. Anthony Health Foundation, the Dominican Sisters of Hope, the Sisters of Loretto, Wellspring Trust, Steele St. Bank and Trust, and many other individuals and friends.  Many thanks to all of our generous sponsors, donors and friends.