Bloggers, bikers aid the needy
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A group of women bicyclists has created a 2011 Babes on Bikes calendar to raise money for the Women's Center and Shelter.
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Some enterprising Pittsburgh women are leveraging their social "media" capital this holiday season -- or just hopping on a bicycle and smiling for the camera -- to help those less fortunate.
Five female bloggers are using their online clout to promote the Community Human Services Holiday Gift Project, which provides gift cards for people experiencing homelessness, mental illness, or both, so they'll have a little extra cheer in their day -- from a free Starbucks cup of coffee to a toy for a child to a meal at Eat'n Park.
Another group of women has created a 2011 Babes on Bikes calendar to raise money for the Women's Center and Shelter in Oakland, featuring different women cycling aficionados posing in different locations around Pittsburgh.
The 13-month calendar, which can be purchased online or at various bicycle shops, coffeehouses or hair salons around the city (go to http://pghbabesonbikes.com/ to purchase or for business listings) "showcases our personalities, strengths, cute faces, and of course, bicycles ... with a goal of aiding the continued empowerment of women in our city," said Caitlin Lenahan, 30, of East Liberty, one of the calendar's promoters.
The women's shelter is "an important resource for women in Pittsburgh," Ms. Lenahan said. "Plus we hope the calendar will encourage and empower other women to hop on their bikes," she added, noting that she has never owned a car.
Then there are the bloggers, most of them women, who have joined together to use their blogs -- and Facebook -- to get out the word so that people will donate a gift card from a favorite retailer or restaurant.
The bloggers include Virginia Montanez at That's Church (thatschurch.com), Lindsay Patross at I Heart Pittsburgh (iheartpgh.com), Frances Monahan at Ms. Mon's Salon (http://communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/opinion/ms-mons-salon), Laura Miller at Secret Agent L (secretagentl.com) Sue Kerr of Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents (pghlesbian.com and pghwomenbloggers.blogspot.com), Brad Reichbaum at The Pittsburgh Comet (http://pghcomet.blogspot.com/), and Maria Lupinacci and David DeAngelo at 2 Political Junkies (http://2politicaljunkies.blogspot.com/).
"Everyone deserves some holiday magic, especially people experiencing homelessness or living with a mental illness," said Ms. Kerr, the holiday project's coordinator and director of residential mental health programs at Community Human Services, a nonprofit organization based in Oakland, which is aiming to provide 535 needy families with a $25 gift.
First Published December 8, 2010 12:00 am
