Support EarthLinks on the second annual Colorado Gives Day! On December 6, 2011, Coloradans across the state will come together again to raise millions of dollars for nonprofits like EarthLinks. Last year, the goal to raise $1 million for Colorado charities was exceeded — $8.7 million was distributed instead! We’re looking to double our donations over last year’s Colorado Gives Day, with a goal to raise $6,000 for EarthLinks!

Presented once again by Community First Foundation and FirstBank, Colorado Gives Day asks you to give to your favorite charities through the website GivingFirst.org, an online giving resource featuring all of the nonprofits participating in Colorado Gives Day.

• 100% of your donation will come to us when you give through GivingFirst.org.
• When you give online anytime on December 6, the value of your donation will be increased by the FirstBank Incentive Fund.
• Help us win cash prizes! We have a chance to win $1,000 Bonus Bucks and $5,000 High Five cash prizes when you remember us on Colorado Gives Day.

Donate online at GivingFirst.org/EarthLinks any time over the 24-hour period of December 6 to help EarthLinks Sustain People + the Planet!

And we know you love EarthLinks too, so join us on Sunday, October 23, 2011 to celebrate both!

Our Fall 2011 Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser will be held on October 23 at Church of the Risen Christ (3060 S. Monaco, Denver 80222) between church services from 8:30am to 1pm. Bring a cash donation to get in the door, some extra spending money for our EarthLinks Workshop product booth, and of course your appetite for delicious pancakes!

All proceeds go to support EarthLinks’ mission to Sustain People + the Planet.

Join us for lunch OR dinner at Pasquini’s (1336 E. 17th Pkwy, Denver 80218) on Tuesday, October 11, 2011, from 11am to 10pm. When you MENTION EARTHLINKS to your server, 20% of your total bill will be donated to support EarthLinks!

Mangiamo!

YES…  We did it!!    Linda Cortes and I rode 412 miles up and down six Colorado mountain passes over the past six days.  It was truly an awesome experience in every sense of the word.  Our daily temperatures ranged from about 34 – 80 degrees.  Under beautiful skies, we rode past fields saturated with color….  Literally thousands of purple lupine, red penstimon, golden peas, arnica, arrowleaf balsamroot.  We saw baby sheep, calves,  horses, and those who take care of them every day.   The snow fields we pedaled past up high fed the powerful waterfalls and raging rivers farther down the mountains.   We enjoyed the hospitality of small mountain towns and the unending support of the Ride the Rockies staff and volunteers.   And we were humbled by the strength and determination of other cyclists.  There were at least a dozen paraplegics riding hand-cranked cycles, a couple of folks from Special Olympics, and many others from various ages and backgrounds. I’ve attached a couple photos — up high on the passes and at the rainy finish line.  I don’t have a photo of the harsh head winds we faced for a couple days… but since that was our only real weather challenge, we feel very, very fortunate!   You can also view more photos on the Ride the Rockies website.  Go to Rider Area, Facebook, and then Photos….  (You don’t have to join Facebook to see the photos). AND, thanks to your generous support, we raised $1,500 for EarthLinks.  These funds will all go to support the direct programing needs of this unique organization.   Thank you, thank you, thank you! Many, many thanks to Kathleen and Barb, who provided our daily support wagon to each new town, met us at the finish line each day with “recovery drinks,”  fixed great dinners, and literally went the extra mile to make our journey so successful and enjoyable!  They thought it was going to be a vacation, but turned into more work than they realized!! And deep heartfelt thanks to all of you for your words and calls of support and your generosity to EarthLinks.  You thoughts and prayers really did help us get up and down those mountain passes safely.  We are left with long-lasting smiles of gratitude on our faces, Enjoy the summer – keep pedaling! Love, Beth Lindroos and Linda Cortes, The Pedal Pushers

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