Final Decsion- b2p is closed

If there was any doubt that I'd made the right decision to step down from b2p, looking back at the Summer and the early Fall has eliminated it. The ride date came and went, and I was so immersed in my work and family that I didn't even realize it until the week after...

I had held out hope that either I, or someone in my place, would be able to tidy up a few details this year and make preparations for a b2p ride in the Spring, but I've faced the fact that it's just not going to happen. I am, of course, saddened by this, but at the same time I'm incredibly proud and thankful for all the hard work, help and support this ride has generated.

I'll be shutting down the b2p site in the near future, and all "...@boston2portland.com" email addresses will cease to function. If you need to contact me personally, please do so using ted@teddillard.com.

If you're interested in what has been occupying all my time, (or are interested in digital photography) take a peek at www.teddillard.com. This past week I had to take as vacation time just to update my latest book for the new Photoshop version... bah!

So, once again, and finally, THANKS to EVERYONE who has worked so hard to make b2p as successful as it was in such a short time! My favorite quote is posted on the bottom of the b2p page:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Mead

Best Wishes, and of course, keep your pedalin'!

Ted Dillard

PS:

I would normally try to keep my politics separate from the other efforts in my life, but these are not "normal" times.

I strongly urge you to vote in November, and I must also urge that you, as a supporter of medical research for Parkinson's, health care for Parkinson's patients (as well as all others needing medical care), and funding for these programs and others, you would consider casting your vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

If for no other reason, Barack Obama has committed to ending the war in Iraq and channeling those billions of dollars into our own country, including medical research, I have to endorse him, and hope that you'll consider supporting him.

...but in any case, VOTE!

Update: b2p lives on!

Just a quick note...

In the last few weeks I've had a few emails back and forth with some folks who've offered to help out for a Spring '09 boston2portland! woohoo!

I can't tell you much more at this point, but suffice to say, boston2portland is (hopefully) looking forward to a new year, and a fresh new start! (...and yes, the rumors of our "death" have been greatly exaggerated... heh.)

Stay tuned... and of course, if you're in the mood to roll up your sleeves and dive in, please do!

Also, for those who had their hearts set on riding this Fall, Bob and Edna (of Team Woods) are organizing a round-trip group of 100, 50 and 30 mile rides out of Old Orchard on Sept. 13, through Team Fox, to benefit the Fox Foundation. The link to their page is www.newenglandparkinsonsride.org

Great work, and best wishes (especially for NO RAIN!).

Thanks for all the kind notes and support...

Ted

Growing Pains... b2p 2008

Memorial Day has, for me, been the day to kick into gear getting ready for the year's b2p. As we turned that corner this year, panic began to set in...

My highest priorities for the ride are to protect the safety of everyone involved, and the spotless reputation we have as a fundraising organization. It became clear that, in this stage of our growth, it would take a lot of work to insure both goals were met. As we headed down the stretch to July 4th, it became clear that I couldn't devote the time I needed to meet this challenge, and reluctantly stepped down hoping we could move on to a new level, with new leadership. Unfortunately it seems that was a little optimistic.

The decision I've come to is to close the ride for this year, rather than risk not doing it responsibly.

Naturally this was a tough call. Beyond just my interests, we have a whole lot of people who have a lot of time and effort invested in this. Notably, we have Edna Woods, who, as far as I can tell, almost singlehandedly pulled together all the volunteer help the riders enjoyed at the rest stops. We have all those volunteers who stood out in the rain, marked the routes, gathered the donations, many of whom I never got the chance to meet in person. We have Dr. Matt Lavoie and his team at the CND who enthusiastically supported our ride in many, many ways... and Wendy Thaxter, past director of the FND, who held our hand through our first years. Of course there are the riders and their sponsors.

My hope is this will simply be a "year off". Whether we just gear up next year, (even next Spring maybe?) with a fully established organization, or we're reborn in another form, I just don't know... but I'm not shutting the door on any possibility.

Riders: I will be returning any registration fees I have received, and will contact your sponsors to see if they would like their donations returned, or forwarded to the FND.

If you do not wish to receive more emails of this sort from b2p please take a minute and hit the "unsubscribe" button. Your name will be removed from the list automatically. If, however, you'd like to learn of any developments and keep up with our plans, just do nothing. Your name will remain on our list.

Thanks once again to the hundreds of people who have made this ride possible. You have raised over $120,000 to find a cure for Parkinson's, and hopefully, this is only the start!

...oh yeah. And, KEEP PEDALIN'!

-Ted

passing the torch...

Well, folks, this is a letter I hoped I'd never have to write, but, especially so soon, and at such a critical time in the growth of b2p... but I've had to make some very difficult decisions.

I've got to step down as (what Edna calls) the "Big Boss" of b2p.

This is for a large number of ultimately pretty personal reasons, but suffice to say that I have a lot of responsibilities and I'm at the point that something has to give. Unfortunately, that "something" has to be my active involvement in boston2portland.

I'm confident that this will be the beginning of the next phase of boston2portland's growth. The organization is on the verge of acquiring non-profit corporation status, the ridership is blossoming, we've worked out many rough spots and I hope we've built a machine with a life of it's own.

This means we need someone who can take over.

This involves providing communication and organization for the various teams working the ride, assigning and delegating tasks and jobs to keep the ride running smoothly, both in the months leading up to it, during the ride, and following up. It means continuing the relationship with the FND and developing Corporate sponsorship and underwriting.

To jump in immediately, you'll need to have (or be able to delegate to someone who does):

A good basic understanding of Excel and Word.

A good basic understanding of website design, using simple HTML and forms.

Experience with, or willingness to learn quickly, the 501(c)(3) process and an understanding of Non-Profit Corporate structure.

Experience with, or willingness to learn quickly, email "marketing", (specifically, Constant Contact).

I've tried very hard to "package" b2p in such a way that it could be scaled out easily to adapt to it's inevitable growth, and I think I've accomplished that pretty well. Taking this organization to the next level is certainly a project not to be taken lightly, but one that is certainly set up to be as efficient as possible. It is by no means a full-time job, but it is certainly a job.

I will do whatever I can to help make this transition as smooth as possible, and hopefully I will have time to work in some kind of advisory role.

I do not know for sure what this means for this year's ride, and my hopes are that it will roll right along with someone in my place. I promise that, within a short period of time, I will contact everyone with that information, once plans are finalized.

What this means to riders and sponsors:

Please hold off on collecting donations, at least for a few weeks.

The donations that have been collected and turned in, either on-line, or checks, are being held and not processed, pending final plans.

Your registration fees are also being held, and not processed.

Please be assured that we will handle this transition responsibly, and in the interests of all the people who have worked so hard for this ride. We will not leave you in "limbo", and will let you know as soon as we have a course of action in place.

I want to also take this moment to thank everyone who has made this ride, this crazy thought I had pedaling to work at Carson's Beach in South Boston back in 2005, such an astounding success.

Please don't hesitate to contact me for any information, to discuss your interests in helping drive b2p to the next level, or to voice your concerns. You can contact me at ted@boston2portland.com

-Ted

under 90 days!

hoo boy! so much to do!