Fundraising, Fall Foliage and Forty Years
The 2nd Annual Spectrum Ride
by Monica Taylor, Spectrum Events Coordinator,
September 23, 2010, page 19.....

Spectrum Youth & Family Services is gearing up for its 2nd Annual Spectrum Ride to be held on Sunday, October 3. The event will be a fabulous day of fun for family, friends and the community, with supporters riding to make a positive change in the lives of at-risk youth in Vermont. There’s a distance for everyone—10K, 25K, 50K and 100K routes.
Location: Dorset Street Park, 575 Dorset Street, South Burlington.
Ride start times: 10K (10 a.m.), 25K (9:30 a.m.), 50K (8:45 a.m.) and 100K (8 a.m.). Both the 50K “Vermonter” Route and the 100K “Shifting Gears” route come south through Charlotte along Greenbush and Lake Roads, then north on Greenbush to the West Village, east via Church Hill and Hinesburg Roads to Spear Street. The 50K riders turn north on Spear, while the 100 K riders head south on Spear to Mt. Philo Road, then loop through Ferrisburgh and Monkton before coming back north through Charlotte.

There are a number of ways that the community can become involved: RIDE, support a rider, attend the after-party, volunteer, help spread the word.

The number of young people needing basic services has increased drastically in the last 12 months. In 2009, Spectrum housed 119 youth in the shelter (a 33% increase from the previous year), but turned away 143 due to lack of space (a 91% increase in one year). The economy’s failure to recover continues to keep Spectrum anticipating and preparing for even higher numbers of youth in need of basic services in the coming year. Funds raised at the 2nd Annual Spectrum Ride will help keep Spectrum’s programs viable and healthy. Spectrum provides a continuum of services to young people in Burlington, including Spectrum One Stop (a 12-bed youth shelter), the Drop-in Center, Health Clinic, mental health and substance abuse counseling, JOBS program, Street Outreach program and more.
The 2nd Annual Spectrum Ride concludes Spectrum’s 40th anniversary celebration. Riders can register online at spectrumvt.org/home/ride. Non-riders can attend the after-party, which begins at 11 a.m. at Dorset Street Park; tickets are $10 adults, $5 children. The party will feature food from Boloco, two live bands, kids’ activities and two demonstrations by trick riders from Ideride of the Northeast Kingdom.
For more information and to obtain tickets for the party, contact Monica Taylor 660-0580, ext. 330.