A Look Back and a Look Ahead

I started 2013 out living with my family in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. and finished it in Seattle leading the biggest and best bike club in the United States: The Cascade Bicycle Club.

It was a huge year of change for myself and my family, and it was a huge year of success for Cascade.

As we begin construction on the Cascade Bicycling Center (on September 2nd!) and finalize our strategic plan book (you'll get a copy in September!), we want to look back and remember how much we have to cheer about.

Cascade's volunteers and members continue to be the reason behind our success and our growth. Last year was a big year for Cascade: a year of transition and changes, a year of fresh starts and heartfelt gratitude, a year of planning and strategies. 

In 2013, members and staff thanked long-time executive director Chuck Ayers for his leadership as he set off for uncharted waters. We welcomed Joe Platzner in a role as interim executive director, and started setting a strategic direction for the next five years. The club hired me as its new executive director in September, and the staff, volunteers and members stayed strong and supportive throughout these exciting transitions.

With your help, the club also had a record year of successes:

• We taught almost 50,000 students through Basics of Bicycling, in more schools.
• We created cyclists through the Major Taylor program, and cheered their finish in STP.
• We had a record-setting breakfast, raising money to support our Education Foundation.
• We sold STP and RSVP out faster than ever, and launched Bike-n-Brews to reach even more cyclists.
• We advocated on behalf of cyclists throughout the region, from Bellevue to Seattle.
• We selected a new logo.
• We created new partnerships, expanded our outreach and grew our membership.
• We built a better community through bicycling.
• We improved lives through bicycling.

All of our successes are possible because of your support, the actions you take on behalf of bicycling, and your passion for Cascade. We continue to thrive, and to look ahead, because of this same support.

Please find our annual report here. 

Thank you for a fantastic 2013.

As always, drop me a line with any questions or thoughts you have -- I welcome your comments at elizabeth.kiker@cascadebicycleclub.org. I'm so glad to be here in Seattle, working with you. It's been a fantastic journey, and we're just getting started.