It’s that time of year again, and the Mountains to Desert Classic bike ride happens on Sept. 23, next weekend. A fundraiser for the Just for Kids (JFK) Foundation, representatives said the event helps support local youth in the region, and specifically in the west ends of both San Miguel and Montrose counties.
This marks the 20th anniversary of the bike ride tour, and organizers are hoping to raise $200,000 that will be funneled back into local communities. Anyone is welcome to make a donation, and those participating in the ride are also fundraising, with sponsors backing them on the tour.
The ride begins in Telluride, though some will start in Norwood. The route goes through Naturita and runs all the way to Gateway, where a dance party has been planned. At the finish line, Disco Fuego will perform, and food will be provided by La Cocina de Luz, of Telluride.
There are riders from the West End participating, and anyone under 21 years of age gets a 50 percent discount on their registration, even if they start the tour from Norwood. So far listed in the top fundraisers (as of press time) were Paul Koski, of Nucla, and also the Daranyi family, of Norwood.
Some in West End communities are also volunteering for the event. Various volunteer positions still exist, from bag organizing to running a station, and those types of duties can be claimed by visiting runsignup.com/Race/Volunteer/CO/Telluride/m2dclassic.
Some organizations that are benefitted by the JFK Mountains to Desert Classic, specifically in the West End, are One to One Mentoring, Naturita Early Learning Center, Norwood Public School, Wright’s Stuff Community Foundation, Bright Futures, Lone Cone Library, Montrose West Recreation, Juvenile Services, the Pinhead Institute, True North Youth Program and others.
A 501(c)(3) established in 1999 and based in Telluride, the Just For Kids Foundation serves the San Miguel Watershed region and “provides essential scholarships, operating grants, program support, capital and start-up funding, and equipment to deserving youth and youth organizations,” the website says.
Mountains to Desert Classic bike ride is the foundation’s only funding event, and, thanks to the donations and fundraising efforts from 2022, Just for Kids awarded $133,000 to 40 worthy applicants in its 2022 grant cycle.
To see those grant recipients, view upcoming grant deadlines and read more about the history of the organization, all are invited to visit www.justforkidsfoundation.org.
