The Michigan Mountain Biking Association gathered their new board members and Chapter Advisory Council members for their 2019 strategic planning session on Sunday near the new DTE Energy Foundation trail in Chelsea, Michigan. It was an exciting day, spent talking about mountain biking in Michigan and planning about the future of the MMBA and the goals the group has for 2019.
The long-term future of the MMBA is bright, we have an energetic board with the ideas and vision to lead Michigan mountain biking forward and secure long-term funding for the organization. The short-term issue is cash flow…
The work the MMBA does is important to all of us. This summer MMBA executive director Melissa Werkman, the only employee of the organization, was instrumental in getting the obstructed license plate bill through the state legislature and signed into law. No longer can you be pulled over for having your license plate blocked by bikes on your hitch rack. Thank the MMBA for that one.
Now… you can’t specifically join the MMBA itself.
The MMBA wants you to join your local bike club, that money stays local and gets put to use on your home turf, providing your group with money for grooming, insurance and whatever else is needed right at home. Individual bike clubs like the Shoreline Cycling Club in Ludington and others listed at MMBA.org then choose to support the work of the MMBA by joining the Chapter Advisory Council. If your club isn’t supporting MMBA, talk to your board members, they should.
But what you can do is make a donation right now. Think about the work of the MMBA and how important it is to have an executive director with connections across the state and in our state capitol. Whether it’s the license plate law or negotiations with the DNR about trail access or E-Bikes, we need that representation.
Now take a minute and think about the price of a six pack of Bell’s Best Brown Ale, $10 or 12 bucks right? And worth every penny! Will you buy the MMBA a six pack to reward them for the work they’ve done this year? Is the work the MMBA does worth a six pack of Bell’s to you?
(Disclaimer: Melissa is not actually going to buy beer with the $10 bucks you send, she’s going to put it in the operating fund, you’re going to get a tax deduction as the MMBA is a 501c3).
We want everyone who opens this email to send the MMBA ten or twenty bucks, but we know everyone won’t, but if HALF of you follow through, then we can help the MMBA get through this year and give them some breathing room to do the work they need to do.
Thanks.
Iceman.
Transfer deadline is 10/12, MMBA Clinic for new riders on 10/13, Wave assignments on 10/19, Iceman Store closing on 10/26.
DTE Foundation Trail, two thumbs WAY up!