In April of 2021, I decided it was time to give back to mountain biking, as it has done so much to improve my life. The problem was I did not know where to start! I had never made a trail day or donated to the trails. I may have purchased a membership to a trail society once. Only because I had to in order to attend their AGM. After some careful thought, I decided that I would open up about mountain biking, recovery, and family history with addiction to close friends, family, and clients. While also offering a custom jersey that I would sell as a non-profit fundraising idea with the proceeds going to the Moose Mountain Bike Trail Society. I approached my employer to see if they would be a major partner in my idea. As they were one of my rocks of support when I started a new life back in 2014. I came back to Woodridge Ford 2 weeks into my recovery. I felt like I owed it to them to be a part of my idea, as they have supported me through some very difficult times. After lunch and a conversation with my GM, I had their full support and a cheque to purchase some jerseys for my non-profit idea/fundraiser to raise some money for the trails.
My goal was to raise $500-1,000 in 2021 and donate it to my favorite trail society! I reached out to Moose Mountain Bike Trail Society in an email and introduced myself and mentioned my history with addiction
and what mountain biking had done to keep forward with my decision! Also, outlining my plan to raise money for them and give back to the sport that had changed my life so much. Their response was instant. The president and vice president reached out to me and mentioned that they were inspired by the story and grateful for the support. This was a massive relief for me, as I did not know how they would respond or think about hearing a story of recovery and mountain biking from a random person trying to raise money through some jersey sales. I reached out to a couple of companies to see if they would support the cause as well, and help us spread the word about the fundraiser.
Calgary Cycle was the first support, as they were a huge motivator in keeping me stoked about my bike and everything mountain biking.
To Be Continued . . .
- James MacDonald