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Biking for Bergen homeless
(by Sophia Gonzalez - April 29, 2008)
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Photo Courtesy Of Bruce Anton
The 15th Annual Bergen Bike May 4 raises money for homeless children and families in Bergen County.
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Making every mile count, the Interreligious Fellowship's 15th annual Bike Bergen winds its way from Park Ridge to Northern Valley May 4 in an effort to benefit homeless children and families.
The non-profit fundraiser consists of a three-mile walk and several bike tours for all cyclists: 3, 15, 25 miles and even the Metric Century ride of 100 kilometers. The race starts and ends at the Depot Square in Park Ridge located directly across from Cyclesport.
Anywhere between 300 to 750 riders attend Bike Bergen where they also enjoy food, entertainment and prizes donated from local merchants and corporate sponsors.
The all-day event raised about $65,000 last year, but this year "we're shooting for $75,000," said John Reinke, IRF Director of Development.
Running on a "shoe-string budget," Reinke said that the IRF uses proceeds to manage its services for Bergen County's neediest families and individuals.
The IRF, managed by five paid staff and volunteers, works closely with 260 local congregations to provide shelter at both its Hackensack and Englewood locations. When the 38-bed shelter for single adults in Hackensack can no longer accommodate people, the Overflow Shelter Program provides additional shelter for up to 20 adults.
The Englewood shelter, known as "Fellowship House" at the former St. Cecilia's High School, houses working parents with dependent children under 18.
"You can't live in a car if you have kids," said the development director, who first joined IRF as an overflow shelter volunteer. "The state will come in and break the family apart." Our primary mission is not only to alleviate homelessness, but to keep families together, continued Reinke, a Demarest native.
Other programs run by "people who donate food and their time to serve" include the walk-in dinner programs feeding approximately 120 people at the Hackensack facility, a food pantry and summer camp program for homeless children.
Event chair Bruce Anton said he first volunteered at the Hackensack shelter 13 years ago because he looked forward to “doing something other than work and family." "I then realized that homelessness is not just in 'other towns,' but in your backyard," said the retired Ridgewood resident.
Anton said that most people associate homelessness with those carrying "a brown paper bag and a bottle of wine." That's not always true, he said.
There was an attractive young woman who served a year in jail for killing an abusive spouse in self-defense. Her family would not take her back, so she had no place to live, recalled Anton. Then, there was a young man who struggled with mental issues and could no longer cope with the pressures of corporate . He too had no place to live, said Anton.
Homelessness is a problem everywhere. But there are success stories, said Anton.
One woman with four kids turned to IRF after her abusive husband abandoned her and she lost her home. She is now holds a full-time job and is independent. The mother, according to the event chair, served as an IRF volunteer at a youth conference.
The woman hoped her story would inspire others like her, continued Anton.
As the largest fundraiser that IRF has, Bike Bergen contributes close to 95 percent of its budget and expenses, said the event chair. "This is the 15th annual, so it's made to be a fun day," he said.
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