I've finally started making calls to businesses, and I've gotten a lot of no's. A few larger businesses have policies in place and have asked me to send emails or fill out forms (these are my favorite calls). I even had a lovely conversation with someone from Berkshire Bank about bike routes! At the very least I'm learning things.

I realize I need to adapt my fundraising. There are a lot of businesses than can't make monetary donations but would be willing to donate things. Market Basket would be more than happy to donate water and snacks for events, for example (provided I put it in writing 30 days prior to the event). Basically, this boils down to the need for an event.

I've already informally spoken to a restaurant about hosting a fundraiser in which 10% of the days profits would be donated to the cause. I have a cake decorating class in the works. Now, I'm thinking about hosting a raffle. Perhaps a "Weekend in the Berkshires" raffle. I could get donations of movie tickets, hotel stays, restaurant gift certificates, bowling... Maybe I could make it an auction or have the raffle during some sort of event. What I really need is some event planning help. Or a team.

Ear-Warmer Headbands Are In!

Becca and I had a short photo session this morning and I know what you're going to ask. No, I will not be going into modeling. I'm far too much of an awkward giggler. Where should I look? What do I do with my hands? Ugh! It's not for me. Please try not to be too heartbroken.

Anyways, after I tried on some headbands and pranced around the apartment a bit, the lovely Becca worked her magic and shot some photos for me. The first batch will be shipped this week and include red, navy, gray, and a beautiful cream color, all in the classic knotted design. I'm working on some with button closures and a pair of mittens (I'm unreasonably excited about the mittens) at the moment. Headbands are all $10. I currently have cream, white, cranberry, lavender, purple, gray, and a combo of purple and green, though other colors can be arranged. If you'd like something knitted (hats, mittens, variations of headbands, scarves) let me know and we can work out a price. As always, all proceeds go to Bike & Build and affordable housing!

Findings Thus Far

On Friday, I finally got around to reading Out of Reach. It's a journal/magazine put out annually by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) that addresses the state of affordable housing in the country for the previous year. It was dense (chock full of charts and tables and graphs about housing data) but really informative. I mean REALLY informative. Out of Reach is where affordable housing advocates get their data. That said, I'm an idiot for not reading it sooner. Here I was struggling to find information and Out of Reach was just sitting there in the B&B Rider Manual!

To start with, there are a lot of acronyms:

• AMI (area median income): the average income of a household for a given region
• ELI (extremely low income): a household making less than 30% of the AMI
• FMR (fair market rent): what you could expect to pay for an apartment with basic utilities in an area

Then there's the jargon:

• Affordable Housing: when a household spends 30% or less of its income on rent/utilities
• Cost Burdened: when a household spends more than 30% of income on rent/utilities
• Severely Cost Burdened: when a household spends 50% or more of income on rent/utilities
• Housing Wage: the necessary hourly wage for someone working full-time to afford an apartment at FMR
• Renter Wage: estimated hourly wage of renters in a region

Then there are the graphs and charts and maps... (Like this one about how many hours you have to work at minimum wage to afford an apartment per state!)

Quick Facts:

Berkshire County

2 BR apartment at FMR: $804/mo (That's how much my apartment is! It's technically a 2 BR but easily fits three)

Housing wage for a 2 BR at FMR: $15.46/hr

AMI: $71,800/yr 

ELI: $21,540/yr

Lowell Area (includes Dracut)

2 BR at FMR: $1,157/mo

Housing wage for 2 BR at FMR: $22.25/hr

AMI: $90,700/yr

ELI: $31,298/yr

Money

Happy new year! I hope you and yours had happy and healthy holidays (alliteration for the win!). It's 2015 and I'm hitting the ground biking. See what I did there? As of January 4, 2014 I'm $200 away from my January goal of $500. I've been busy writing letters and asking around (expect letters, emails, phone calls, Facebook messages, and carrier pigeons soon!)

First, let me say that I, like most people, abhor asking for money. Here's the thing: this isn't for me. This money isn't for me. If I remind myself of that often I usually manage to muster the courage to ask someone to donate. Because, hey, this money is going to a really great cause! This cause is bigger than me and my fear of someone saying no or throwing me a dirty look.

For now, I'm looking for ways to make fundraising fun. I'm working on incentives ($20 for postcard from the road; $100 for a days worth of photos) and planning some events (Twister Tournament anyone?). If you want to help out and are low on funds, give me some time. I'd love help fundraising, whether that be helping with a bake sale or yard sale or asking people you know to donate.

Basically, this is me asking you to donate. Any amount means the world to me and every person that dollar helps.