2015 Spring Newsletter
THANK YOU to all of our members, volunteers, sponsors and contributors!
Your support is essential to achieving safer communities for everyone.
A Busy Winter/Spring for PBKTC:Early this year our Board of Directors met for a full day to reviews 2014 and discuss our goals for 2015. In 2014 your support allowed us to focus on programs and campaigns that helped Austin achieve the lowest number of cyclist fatalities on record. Going forward we hope to continue this trend in Austin as well as cities across Texas and the USA. Our message is universal, BE KIND and we can all get home safely.
Members, Volunteers and Sponsors
It takes all of us to make this organization work and we want to recognize the members, volunteers and sponsors who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. (learn more) 
Awareness and Education
Along with participating in multiple events around the state and learning from our peers, we had our own event on Friday, May 1st. Bike Month has begun and with it we launched the "Rally for Respect," a road safety campaign with measurable results. (read more) 
Tragedy Assistance Program
We revisited the crash sites of two fatalities to pay our respects and support the friends and families of the victims. (read more) 
We are growing!
Drop by our Downtown office and tell us hello, we love having guests. 805 W. 10th St., Ste 300 Austin, TX 78701 |
Outreach
Bingo, kolaches, greenlights, bikehugger, SXSW, premieres... What do all these things have in common? They are all ways in which we reached out to the community to share our message. We hope to see you all soon at some of these upcoming events... (learn more) 
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"Rally for Respect" 2015!
We officially marked the start of Bike Month with our 2015 Safe Roads Bus Wrap Campaign on Friday, May 1st, in front of the TX Capitol. This year's campaign showcases 3 messages shared across 30 city buses for 2 months with an expected 8 MILLION views! The messages educate ALL road users about their responsibilities when sharing the road. We are thrilled to have support from our sponsors who believe in this effort and the positive impact it will have on road safety for their employees, customers, friends and family. Our lead sponsor this year is Whole Foods and we couldn't hope for a more influential voice in the community to partner with. 2015 Sponsors:
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In addition to our own programs we also attended conferences, summits, forums and events to listen to experts and network with community leaders. By being a part of the discussion we can share our experience as well as incorporate new information and cutting edge approaches in our programs. We were present at the Volusion Health Expo (Jan 21), TX Professional Educators Summit (Feb 28th), Statewide Motorcycle Safety Forum (Mar 24th), National Safety Council Community Safety Summit (Mar 30th), Shiner G.A.S.P. and Hill Country Ride for AIDS (Apr 25th) and the Statewide Impaired Driving Forum (Apr 28th).
Bingo Fundraiser:
In December PBKTC was invited to be the beneficiary of the Shitty Kitty Big Ball Bingo hosted by Rebecca Havemeyer. Along with volunteers, we helped work the crowd and sell raffle tickets that helped raise over $600 in just a few hours. A big thanks to Rebecca for including us in her event and for helping to raise money for charities all year long. |
Kolache Ride:
With excellent weather above, riders gathered on February 21st for the Please BE KIND Kolache Ride. Ride organizer/leader, Bryce Hendrix, plotted a course that resulted in the consumption of many kolaches and many miles of riding through Northwest Austin. We hope to continue hosting this ride each year. |
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Greenlights Happy Hour:
The Greenlights Happy Hour allows members of this organization to spend some one on one time with the leaders who are doing the good work of supporting non-profits. Matt Kouri, Greenlights Chief Executive Officer, and Al Bastidas, Please BE KIND to Cyclists Executive Director at the Greenlights member happy hour. We were very excited to be present at this event in late February. 
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Bikehugger SXSW Mobile Social Ride and Premiere of "Bikes vs Cars":
On March 15th we teamed up with Bikehugger to host the SXSW Mobile Social Ride which ended downtown with the World Premiere of "Bikes vs Cars." This film addresses major concerns about how we're handling transportation infrastructure. "Climate change and never-ending gridlocks frustrate people more than ever. Instead of whining, people in cities around the world take on the bicycle as a Do It Yourself solution. Road rage and poor city planning creates daily death amongst the bicyclists. And now they demand safe lanes."
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Reaching Out Through Social Media
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Facebook
With over 5,600 followers, Facebook is our most popular way to connect with supporters. |
Instagram
Our Instagram page is back in action and updated regularly. Enjoy our bike-inspired images!  |
Twitter
We're tweeting so if you prefer the tweet-o-sphere, just click the button bellow to hear us. |
Strava
Join us on a ride or compete with fellow supporters! 
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Joseph Holan Memorial Ride:
The family of Joseph Holan wanted to revisit the location of the Memorial Ride from last year and help raise awareness for cycling safety. On his way to work, Joseph was hit from behind and killed by a motorist who failed to properly pass him despite having two lanes in which to operate. His family will forever be affected by this and hopes that by sharing their story drivers will be more aware of the suffering a moment of impatience or distraction can cause.
SXSW Memorial Placement:
On the soggy morning of March 21st, Please BE KIND to Cyclists gathered along with supporters to officially establish a SXSW Memorial for the victims of last year's senseless tragedy that took the lives of bystanders during the festival. The original Ghost Bike and cross from last year disappeared so we responded to concerns by installing a permanent memorial to provide a place for people to gather and show respect for the victims.
Volunteer Spotlight: Jennifer Huang
"I am graduating from The University of Texas at Austin in May. I have been member of many organizations, and currently I am the President of the Beta Chapter of Alpha Sigma Rho. During my free time, I like to watch Netflix and do something else. I can't just watch Netflix, I am always doing something like cooking, scrapbooking, drawing, making little gifts or planning something. I love to travel and one of my biggest dreams is to be able to travel around the world to learn about culture and explore new ideas. I like to be surrounded by some noise. I am a Chinese-descendent that grew up in Panama and from a really young age my parents have always taught me the meaning and importance of giving. We believe that the ability to give is a gift from God. One day I was just browsing on the web for an internship opportunity and I found Please BE KIND. They were looking for an event coordinator! It was perfect, because I am passionate about giving back and event planning! This is like a job tailored for me. I applied immediately and since then I have been interning for almost 7 months. What keeps me so happy and satisfying when I intern for Please BE KIND is how appreciated and welcomed I feel by everyone on the team. Al and Pat are so nice to me and have taught me so many important and aspiring life lessons. Knowing that Please BE KIND is doing great things makes me feel that my hard work matters."
Meet A Board Member: Ashley Endler
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Volunteer OpportunitiesWe have lots of goals to achieve this year and could really use your help. Take a moment to visit our volunteer page and join our mailing list to stay up to date on volunteer opportunities.
Sponsor Spotlight: Pure AustinPure Austin has consistently supported Please BE KIND to Cyclists through a variety of means and most recently by being a sponsor on 10 of our "Rally for Respect" bus wraps. With the help of community leaders like Beto of Pure Austin, we can focus our energy on awareness and education that directly impacts the safety of all road users. Beto knows as well as anyone that his clients are active people who are out using the roads to bike, run and drive and that he wants them all to be safe no matter which mode they choose that day.
A HUGE thanks to National Trial Law for being a Bronze Level Corporate Sponsor and for supporting the cycling community members who have been injured. Their work sets a precedent for future cases of enforcement and just compensation for their clients.
Membership is GrowingWe are nearing the end of the second year of our membership program and are happy to announce that we have enrolled nearly 400 supporters! If you are unsure whether or not your membership has expired or you'd like to increase your support, please contact us.
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