About 88 Bikes
88Bikes is a fundraising project with a very simple goal: to provide a sustainable, joyful, empowering form of transportation to young people in developing countries, in situations where these children have been challenged to be their own heroes due to war, conflict, poverty, disease, or other regional hardships. 88Bikes was started in 2006 by Dan Austin, Nicolas Arauz, and Jared Austin. In Novemeber 2006, 88Bikes started its first project in partnership with the Friends of Cambodian Children, to raise funds for 88 bikes. After exceeding its fundraising goal in just 2 weeks, the organization gave 88 bikes to 88 kids at the Palm Tree Orphanage in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in January 2007. In January of 2008, 88bikes completed its second project with the Global Youth Partnership for Africa in Patongo, Uganda, donating 200 bikes to children at a refugee camp in this war-torn region of Northern Uganda. 88Bikes has received press coverage by CNN International, Optimist World [www.optimistword.com], Lazy Enviromentalist (Sirius Radio), and was also a Typepad Featured Blog in 2007.
How it works
Each year, 88bikes chooses a destination. We’ve chosen sites with great advice from friends at National Geographic, Banff Mountain film festival and MountainFilm in Telluride, and networks of past partners such as the Global Youth Partnership for Africa and Cambodia’s Hope. While it is difficult to find a perfect fit each year, our goal is to select places where 88bikes can have the most powerful impact, and likelihood for success; where the bikes can be reasonably accommodated, safely stored and kept in good repair; and where there is strong leadership in the school or orphanage receptive to the project.
Once a location is selected, 88bikes reaches out using e-mail, social networking sites, and the personal networks of the founders, and collects donations from sponsors through its web site. Each donation is $88 dollars, the approximate cost of a bike in most developing countries. Each sponsor also provides their name (or the name of a friend, if it is a gift), along with a photo of the donor. A list of all Sponsors is posted to the web site. 88bikes typically raises funds from October through December each year.
After the donations are raised, 88bikes travels to the project site in person. New bikes are purchased in-country from local merchants. Any required labor for transportation, assembly, or assistance is also hired locally, so that the project funds are used to benefit the local economy. All Sponsor donations are used to purchase and assemble the bikes, and for local transportation. All other costs, such as IT, travel, administrative costs and overhead are paid by the founders, so that 100% of the donated money goes directly to the local economy and to the bike donation.
Each child for the project is given their bike in person from the founders, on behalf of the individual Sponsor who donated their bike, along with a postcard that shows the Sponsor, a world map, and the Sponsor’s hometown. Photos and film of the project are made available to the Sponsors, and each Sponsor receives a thank-you letter with a photo of the child who received their bike.
Accountability
We cover all the overhead costs of 88bikes on our own, including all administrative, travel, and IT costs, so that every penny donated is a direct contribution to the purpose of the project– buying bikes for kids in challenging places, and supporting the ongoing bike culture that we leave behind so that it can continue to be a source of joy and inspiration for the kids as they grow up. All contributions go directly through PayPal to US Registered 501c3 Organizations who help us purchase the bikes with their guidance and support.
Team
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Dan Austin is a writer and filmmaker living in Brooklyn, NY. Dan is best known for his 1999 documentary, True Fans, and for the book True Fans that chronicled his bike journey across America with his brother, Jared and his best friend Clint. Dan’s newest book, “The Road Trip Pilgrims Guide”, was published this fall. Dan’s ‘universal joy principle’ was the inspiration for 88Bikes, and he handed a bike to the very first kid at Palm Tree in Cambodia. Dan is the inspiration, voice and leader of 88bikes, directing the project and working closely with our partners and bike sponsors to make 88bikes a huge success. |
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Nick Arauz is a designer and social media entrepreneur with a broad range of creative accomplishments. He grew up on a heavy dose of creativity and technology, alternating summers between art schools, construction jobs, robotics camps and technology jobs. Trained as an architect, his career accomplishments include creating high-end retail experiences, to developing technology and youth brands, and working on social and political action programs. Nick is currently the President of Xipto, a mobile marketing company he founded in 2005 focused on peer 'micro-endorsements' and local fundraising for non-profits. Nick brought 88Bikes to life online, and has been responsible for the social fund raising and micro-philanthropy strategy that has been an integral part of 88bike’s success. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and twin boys. Learn more at his website. |
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Dr. Jared Austin is pediatrician at the Mayo Clinic living in Rochester, Minnesota. Jared is the medic, guide, and voice of reason on his many journeys and adventures with his brother Dan, including 88bikes in-country operations in 2007 in Cambodia and 2008 in Uganda. Jared plays a critical role in leading 88bikes ground operations for each project, working with the local leaders for logistics and accounting. He has also been the connector and the expert on local history and culture for all our 88Bikes destinations. |
