ABOUT US

 

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Our mission is to be a vehicle for change.  

 

The purpose of Ride for CHANGE Ride for HOPE™ Foundation is to bring together the resources to help the World of Soul® Motorcycle Community reach its full potential in helping at-risk youth from under-resourced communities reach theirs.  

 

To accomplish this end, we are working to grow a national motorcyclist association as a base of support and provide support to riders as an incentive, support youth with mentoring and their pursuit of a post-secondary education and build the first ever World of Soul® Motorcycle Community Center for Youth Development.  We will raise awareness and support through producing a ride, a conference, a rally and a gala event.  We are seeking support with outreach, event participation and fundraising to accomplish our goals.

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Through mentoring, education support, and motorcycle safety, awareness and training and through the use of the arts and the media, the World of Soul® Motorcycle Community will  deliver a model of service coordination and become the motorcycle community’s principal advocate for disadvantaged youth.

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CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR MISSION AGENDA

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CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR LIST OF PRIORITIES

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OUR STORY

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From creating an online motorcycle social network of 9,600 motorcyclists and clubs to its focus on awareness and education, social and cultural reconciliation, the Foundation is the brainchild of one person - it's founder, Terry Hardy. 

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That brainchild is now the responsibility of a braintrust consisting of a board of directors, advisors and local teams.

 

In 2008,  the network was established and made it's way offline and into the streets in support of constructing the Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington, D. C.  The legacy of the civil rights movement was motivation to grow relationships among its leaders.  Civic engagement came by way of voter registration and facilitating the means by which individuals were trained to become deputy registrars during a historic presidential campaign.

 

Our signature motorcycle ride event, Ride for CHANGE Ride for HOPE™ culminated our efforts as an event that tells a story about America's history that says despite our challenges we have always found ways to move the nation forward.

 

At the encouragement and through Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., our founder Terry Hardy initiated support for youth pursuing a post-secondary education.  Ride for CHANGE Ride for HOPE™ Foundation  (a 501c3 public charity)  was created to help grow the capacity of the World of Soul® Motorcycle Community’s ability to support students in a manner unprecedented in collaboration with the community-at-large.

 

Based in Chicago, Illinois, Ride for CHANGE Ride for HOPE™ Foundation was launched as a charitable organization in 2011 with an announcement from the steps of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky as a means to fuel the initiatives and philanthropic interest of the World of Soul™ Motorcycle Community.

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Today, the Foundation is seeking support through board development and partners to bring together the resources to help World of Soul® Motorcycle Community reach its full potential.

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The Foundation is working to grow a national motorcyclist association, provide support for youth pursuing a post-secondary education and build the World of Soul® Motorcycle Community for Youth Development.

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PROGRAMMATIC THRUST

 

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EDUCATION 
Education is the fundamental thrust behind all human movement as people move in accordance to their knowledge.  We work to provide education support and mentoring to help students finish high school to get to and through college and/or career of their choice, perform motorcycle safety awareness and training, encourage civic engagement, financial literacy, exploring the humanities, arts and culture. 

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RECREATION
Put the fun back into motorcycling in urban communities with new places to go, things to do and ways to impact the lives of our youth. Have some fun, do some good. 

 

SOCIAL & CULTURAL RECONCILIATION
Ride for CHANGE Ride for HOPE™ tells a story about America's history.  Along America's roadways are many places of historical significance highlighting historic people, places and events.  Once we revisit those places and retell those stories we find that they are just as inspiring today as they were upon inception. Those stories say despite our challenges we've always found ways to move the nation forward. 

 

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Access to opportunity means the reduction of violence, support for education and the application of things learned creates an environment where development can take place. The power of diversity and collective resolve to improve conditions is made manifest on a large scale and in a manner unprecedented with an incentive to produce. Introducing tools that help build infrastructure to support riding communities and forging relationships with industry and the greater community that honor innovative pathways to safe and rewarding motorcycle experiences while improving the image of motorcycling. 
 

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