UPDATE:
Thank you all so much for the amazing response. The generosity of our Tucson community and our extended communities is a bit overwhelming.
The art auction last night was a great success and helped raise another $3,000 for Colin. Many thanks to Transit Cycles and all the artists that donated their work. And many thanks to all the people, including many of you, who showed up to buy art.
With the incredible response here and the big push at the art auction last night we are going to stop this campaign where it is. Now we can focus on getting Colin healed up and on his feet.
Colin tore his Achilles Tendon and had to undergo surgery to repair it so he will be out of work (and off bikes) for at least a couple months. He is already out of pocket $3,500 for medical expenses and there are more to come when he undergoes physical therapy. This is set up to help Colin and his partner cover those medical bills and to help cover his lost wages while he recovers.
If you are here, you probably know Colin as some combination of coach, teacher, friend, artist, or bike lover. He gives everything he has to be those things for us (with more kindness than anyone I know), and this is our chance to be there for him. Together we can make sure that he comes out of this ready to hit the ground riding.
Thank you.
If you don’t know Colin here’s what his partner had to say about him when he was awarded a Ben’s Bells for his kindness.
“Although Colin has been my partner for 10 years now and I am partial to him as a human, I am consistently exposed to his generosity, selflessness and empathy. He works for multiple non-profits in Tucson, including BICAS and El Grupo, to ensure that youth and adults have the resources they need to feel empowered to keep riding and lift themselves up. He’s volunteered his time and resources to make over 40 ghost bikes over the past 12 years. He’s been a coach and tutor for El Grupo for years and helped some of the graduates obtain laptops, bikes and even a car, all for free. He even recovered 7 stolen bikes (for strangers) in the last year. After working in the bike industry for the past 8 years, I have never heard of anyone else who has had such success and passion.
He is a man of many trades almost to a fault. While he’s often asked to fix things, he never says no or asks for a true value payment (if at all) because he has the skills and knows how it is to live with little money and limited resources. His computer science degree has fallen to the wayside because of his passion for contributing to the community through nonprofit work over the alternative of a high-paying career.”
Perhaps you’ll find it in your heart to help him as well.
Thank you!
Thank you all so much for the amazing response. The generosity of our Tucson community and our extended communities is a bit overwhelming.
The art auction last night was a great success and helped raise another $3,000 for Colin. Many thanks to Transit Cycles and all the artists that donated their work. And many thanks to all the people, including many of you, who showed up to buy art.
With the incredible response here and the big push at the art auction last night we are going to stop this campaign where it is. Now we can focus on getting Colin healed up and on his feet.
Colin tore his Achilles Tendon and had to undergo surgery to repair it so he will be out of work (and off bikes) for at least a couple months. He is already out of pocket $3,500 for medical expenses and there are more to come when he undergoes physical therapy. This is set up to help Colin and his partner cover those medical bills and to help cover his lost wages while he recovers.
If you are here, you probably know Colin as some combination of coach, teacher, friend, artist, or bike lover. He gives everything he has to be those things for us (with more kindness than anyone I know), and this is our chance to be there for him. Together we can make sure that he comes out of this ready to hit the ground riding.
Thank you.
If you don’t know Colin here’s what his partner had to say about him when he was awarded a Ben’s Bells for his kindness.
“Although Colin has been my partner for 10 years now and I am partial to him as a human, I am consistently exposed to his generosity, selflessness and empathy. He works for multiple non-profits in Tucson, including BICAS and El Grupo, to ensure that youth and adults have the resources they need to feel empowered to keep riding and lift themselves up. He’s volunteered his time and resources to make over 40 ghost bikes over the past 12 years. He’s been a coach and tutor for El Grupo for years and helped some of the graduates obtain laptops, bikes and even a car, all for free. He even recovered 7 stolen bikes (for strangers) in the last year. After working in the bike industry for the past 8 years, I have never heard of anyone else who has had such success and passion.
He is a man of many trades almost to a fault. While he’s often asked to fix things, he never says no or asks for a true value payment (if at all) because he has the skills and knows how it is to live with little money and limited resources. His computer science degree has fallen to the wayside because of his passion for contributing to the community through nonprofit work over the alternative of a high-paying career.”
Perhaps you’ll find it in your heart to help him as well.
Thank you!
Organizer and beneficiary
Colin Holmes
Beneficiary