Ride 4A Reason 2025

Over the last 15 years, Ride For a Reason has raised close to $1.62 million for public schools in Oakland and Alameda, providing resources and experiences that would not have been possible for more than 6,300 students per year.  Last year over 300 riders cycled to Sacramento, raising over $125,000. As a result, twelve schools received close to $11,000 each to foster student learning, growth, leadership and success.

VITAL FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS

Many of our beneficiary schools do not have a formal Parent Teacher Association (PTA) or other non-profit fundraising group, and are not able to raise large amounts of private donations. They often lack resources for sports, enrichment, and other programs. 

The schools use R4R funds for critically important basics such as library books, sports equipment, art education, after-school programs, science equipment, and staff salaries for counselors, librarians, and reading specialists  See below for a more detailed description of how these funds have benefited students at R4R schools.

THE STUDENTS WE SERVE 

R4R schools serve a special and vulnerable population, predominantly students who receive free or reduced lunch, are English language learners, migrant students and other historically marginalized student groups  At five of our schools,  approximately 90 percent-or-more of students qualify for free- or reduced-price lunches.

MEET OUR SCHOOLS 

 

Edna Brewer Middle School used R4R funds to respond to urgent pandemic needs, including tech support mini-grants for teachers; stipends to professional musicians to support students in music classes; home PE Kits for every student to stay healthy and active remotely; and emergency support for 50 Brewer families who were having difficulty meeting daily needs such as groceries.  “Brewer has projected a 50% reduction in its ability to raise funds from its community—making the Ride 4A Reason funding even more important than ever.”

Emerson Elementary School is using R4R funding to continue to provide library services, including funding the librarian position to a student population that is 75% free and reduced lunch. “Our kids benefit so much from a library stocked with awesome, diverse books and an experienced librarian.&rdquo

Encinal Junior and Senior High School in Alameda is using R4R funds to support the school’s library, which has been under-resourced for many years.  “R4R funds have enabled our librarian to bring our library back to life, to purchase over 1000 books, add new shelving and start e-book offerings.  The funds also go towards each class's account to help pay for their activities during their senior year which might not be otherwise possible.

Equity Allies redistributes R4R funds to principals at recipient schools, who can then use funds at their discretion, without barriers. In prior years funds were made available to 20 schools, and realized broad, local impact. “With families in the highest need schools facing some of the starkest impact from the pandemic the support from R4R got funds to school communities that need it the most.”  

Life Academy says that R4R funds are absolutely critical to their mission: in order to get students out into the health field to challenge inequity and disrupt patterns of injustice, they need to get them out in the field! These funds allow all of their students to get out into the world, and learn about science and health beyond the traditional four walls of a classroom. “With these funds, we will be able to take our students to internships at local hospitals, to UCSF to learn about genetic counseling, and to Yosemite and beyond to explore the connections between nature, ecology, health, and ourselves! Thank you for allowing us to pursue our big dreams for young people in Oakland!”

Montera Middle School used money to effectively transition to online learning, providing for tech supplies and tools to support teachers and students. “The donation from your intrepid riders helped to pay for after school programming, music and sports programs, including our cheer team, that our students need to be well-rounded and engaged at Montera Middle School.”  

Oakland International High School uses R4R funds to support post session classes, where teachers collaborate to create and teach both academic and elective courses, and students collaborate on real world projects and earn the credits they need to graduate high school. This helps to ensure CSU and UC eligibility for our newcomer students.  “The support from R4R means that more newly arrived immigrant secondary students have the opportunity to get on track to graduate.”

At Oakland Technical High School, R4R funds are used to support a variety of programming, sports and enrichment activities, including performing and visual arts classes, student clubs, sports fees and equipment, community and student events, college mentoring, a career center, and a student center and staff lounge. “R4R support over the years has been so valuable to Oakland Tech students. Our teachers are engaged and excited by the opportunity to introduce new ways of learning.

Roosevelt Middle School representatives shared, "we are so grateful for this fundraiser.  It allows us to fund our sports teams, clubs and field trips and other opportunities here at Roosevelt.  We are able to purchase uniforms, awards and sports equipment for our teams, supplies for art club, dance, drama, and the school newspaper as well as outdoor field trips like river rafting.  We are able to fund clubs across a wide spectrum of interests which in turn gives our students many more opportunities to find their niche and feel more connected to school.  It allows us to bring our students experiences and learning opportunities they may not otherwise have access to. "

Skyline High School is deeply thankful to be a recipient of the funds raised by R4R each year. At Skyline, the PTSA uses those funds to support Teacher grants and other projects at the school to help students have a better high school experience. In the 2022-2023 school year, R4R helped purchase two new Flowater units and worked to get them installed in an accessible location so that all students could access clean drinking water throughout the day. For our teacher grant program, we were able to help teachers with animals for dissection, field trips to the Oakland Zoo and Alcatraz, new furniture for the library, sports equipment and uniforms, and books. One additional item that we are able to do thanks to these funds is provide special lunches to appreciate the staff and teachers, who work so hard to educate our children and keep them safe. Below are pictures of one of our PTSA sponsored breakfasts and lunches. Thank you so much for R4R support!

 

 

Westlake Middle School used funds from R4R to incentivize student engagement during distance learning. Students were given an opportunity to win prizes based on their attendance and participation in the virtual classroom. “While this year has been rough on us as a community, this gift has been a highlight amongst other things. Thank you!”