Hello!

My name is Clare Green and I'm an educator in Oakland, CA. For two weeks out of the year during my school’s post session program, I get to lead a group of high school students (girls and gender-expansive youth) on a five-day bike packing trip from Oakland to Santa Cruz.

We spend the first week of our class learning to bike safely on the streets of Oakland. Some of us are literally learning to bike for the first time! We also learn about how Oaklanders have interacted with the land throughout history, how we need to work together as a team, and how women and queer people can create safety for one another and ourselves in the world and on the road. During our second week, we hit the road and bike almost 100 miles to Capitola on the southern edge of Santa Cruz, camping for four nights along the California coast.

Our trip is almost entirely funded through two nonprofit organizations. These organizations pay for the adults who support us, the bikes that we use, the camping gear we rent, the camp sites, groceries, and the rental fees for our support vehicles.

They DO NOT pay for any prepared food, admission to any attractions, or extra safety gear for our bikers. Any teachers know that petty cash is an absolute necessity in situations such as these. When we are climbing the massive cliffs along Highway 1, we're going to need to stop to get chocolate covered strawberries to keep these teenagers moving. And honestly, no one wants to cook over the camp stove after the last and longest (39 miles!) day of riding. So Pizza My Heart happens. And, as a special treat, on the last day of the week, we hope to be able to surprise our bikers with a day at the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. We also like to have a few extra pairs of padded bike shorts and gloves for our bikers on hand.

Please consider sending a few bucks our way to make the trip a bit sweeter.