The Home of Ride for Reading!

During my first year of teaching 4^th grade I asked my students to read for 15 minutes at home that night.  One student replied that he didn’t have any books at home to read.   It did not take long for me to realize that my student’s problem was not unique.  According to the “Handbook of Early Literacy Research”¹ the ratio of books per child in low income neighborhoods is 1 age-appropriate book for every 300 children.  Since reading is such an integral part of education, my wife (Melissa Portell) and I felt compelled to do something to help my students and others like them.  Ride for Reading’s  mission is to promote literacy and healthy living by donating books via bicycle to children from low-income areas.  Since being established in February 2008 we have donated over 30,000 books to children low-income families.  We have also created partnerships with several local bike shops as well as other local and national businesses.  However, it is our unique charity ride that has helped highlight our organization. Dirt, Guts and Donuts is our yearly event where mountain bikers embark on one of the most unique races in the sport.  Racers twist and turn through 11 miles of singletrack mountain bike trail with the option of stopping at two Krispy Kreme donut stands!  For each Krispy Kreme donut the rider consumes they receive 2 minutes off of their race time.  In our first year we had over 60 riders and over 100 donuts eaten. 

We are also very excited to be supported by several professional cyclist including children’s book author and Olympic cyclist Erin Mirabella. She says, “I wanted to write children’s books so I could share my Olympic experiences and lessons with kids. I want to share these with all kids, not just the ones who are lucky enough to have books at home and parents who read to them. Ride for Reading makes that possible. What better gift, than the gift of reading; through books you can give kids the whole world.”  Willow Koerber, from team Subaru/Gary Fisher, says,” Reading opens up the doorways of your mind and expands your imagination.  I hope to encourage children to put no limits on their dreams!” Team Niner, a successful professional mountain bike team, has chosen to endorse Ride for Reading in their 2010 race season.  They are going to assist RfR with our mission by bringing attention to the much needed fight for literacy! Dejay Birtch, Team Niner’s captain says, ”I hope one day, that the kids can turn the pages of a book as fast as we can turn the pedals!”   

We would like to thank Team Niner for all of their support and we wish them the best of luck in the 2010 race season! 

 It is my belief that education is not an entity only found within the four walls of a school building. Within the pages of a book you can go anywhere, see anything, and experience everything.  Every child deserves that despite economic status.  To donate or learn more about our organization please visit us at www.rideforreading.org or email me at mathewportell@rideforreading.org.

Mathew and Melissa Portell

Nashville, Tennessee

¹Neuman, Susan B. and David K. Dickinson, ed. Handbook of Early Literacy Research, Volume 2. New York, NY: 2006, p. 31