Commonly asked(thought) questions...

Greetings, we are under 24 hours from the #irideforthedominican.  We are nervous and pumped all together! I just wanted to take sometime and answer some questions that I have heard in the past, or after other rides.  Our goal is that if you choose to give (which isn't required) you are informed.

1. Can my gift be written off on my taxes?  Yes, this year we have partnered with the organization New Horizons Foundation which is a tax exempt foundation.  You can learn a lot more about them by clicking on the link above.

2. Why did you go with New Horizons Foundation?  This is our third bike ride and God has blessed each ride tremendously.  Throughout this last year we have considered starting our own 501(c)3 but the cost, paperwork and meetings necessary felt like it was too much for what we are doing.  We also do not want to be a burden to Grace Baptist Church.  This event creates some paperwork and New Horizons has the "people power" to take care of it.  It is what they do.  For a very reasonable fee they will take care of all the paperwork.

3. If I accidentally wrote my check out to Grace Baptist Church will that be ok?  Yes, but please consider the giving directions listed below.

4. How much of my money goes toward camp sites, food and bike parts etc?  No money from donations goes to any part of the ride.  Zero dollars from your gift go toward the bike ride.

5. What organizations is Ride For the Dominican associated with?  Ride for the Dominican is an unsupported ride.  There are no company sponsors, whether public or religious in nature that support this ride.  This ride is independent and is done on our personal vacation time.  We appreciate the love and support of Grace Baptist Church and the help provided by QFM but ultimately the ride is separate from both.

 6.  Why "The Center" in Santiago, Dominican Republic?  There are tremendous needs all over the world.  There are tremendous needs all over there United States.  There are tremendous needs all over the Midwest, the Red River Valley and Grand Forks, North Dakota!  To go along with all these needs, there are thousands of tremendous organizations that reach out to people and have their own list of needs. We will not claim to have the greatest needs out of all of them by any means.

I (Matthew) have had the opportunity to go to this particular school 6 of 7 trips and get to know the hearts of the leaders there. Sharon has also had the opportunity to go to this area of Santiago twice. We have seen with our own eyes the needs and have spoken to the leaders.  We love what they are doing and the passion with which they are doing it. Written words do not bring the situation justice!  If I could, I would haul each one of you down there and say, "Look at the potential here!" As the Dominican Republic continues to gain wealth and become more successful, we have a tremendous opportunity to be a part of the country leaving behind the title of third world and walking into new and better times.  More than that, we have the opportunity to partner with solid churches and school who will lay a foundation for the students they work with to create a generation of students who live for the glory of God.

It is a noble cause.  It is something we want to be a part of.  You can be a part of it too.  

Photo Credit:

"MN-200 wide" by Minnesota Department of Transportation - Minnesota Standard Signs Manual. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MN-200_wide.svg#/media/File:MN-200_wide.svg