Hi, my name is Paul and I am trying to raise funds to recover the money that I used to invest and finance a bike that after taxes cost me nearly $2900.

My bike was stolen from the staff bike parking lot at my place of work, and unfortunately, I am not eligible for reimbursement.

The issue is that I make under 50k, and work a weekend gig for extra funds, where I need my bike as I am a ride lead for an LGBTQIA+ youth cycling team, where we try our best to strengthen and encourage "community" outside of substance use, in an attempt to end isolation amongst LGBTQ young people.

If I am unable to replace my bike, it makes completing my second job much more difficult which could contribute to me losing more money that I cannot afford to lose as I have a million debts and expenses piling up.

I used this bike for days when I had less than 5 dollars in my bank account, and needed to get to work in a way that I could afford to do.

I will not pretend to have zero privilege, as it was a privilege to have been able to finance that bike, but I will say, it took a year of steady payments so that I could afford something of that caliber. That bike made my life SO much easier.

It allowed me to work and also allowed me to get outside in ways that made my body feel good when my depression did not want to allow me to leave my bed.

I do not expect money to make this entirely right, but honestly, I want to be able to move on and pretend like this violation of safety did not occur, in an environment that I've trusted for the last decade to make me feel safe.

If you cannot donate, I entirely understand, but sharing is much appreciated, as recovering even a tiny fraction of the money lost, could make a great difference, both financially and emotionally.