What time is it? It's time for World Bicycle Relief (WBR)! If you're not familiar with my favorite non-profit charity organization, they provide rugged, purpose-built bicycles to those in need, making a huge impact on recipients' ability to travel to school, work, obtain food and water, and generally have a better life. Providing bicycles may seem like a simple mission, but it is simply powerful in providing a leg up for many around the world. Being a professional athlete certainly requires a lot of quot; me quot; time, and this event is one of my favorite ways to turn the tables and bring people together to give back to a very worthwhile cause. The Challenge ends at the end of the year - Dec. 31, 2018.

Our total for the past nine years is over $500,000, or over 3,400 bicycles! That's a LOT of bikes, and deserves one heck of a pat on the back for everyone that contributed. Our lofty goal for this year is to raise another $50,000 (340 bicycles), which would put us at a grand total over 10 years of over... $600,000! To enter the challenge, you can donate online at the URL below. Link: https://fundraise.worldbicyclerelief.org/jordanrapp2018 You can also submit donations via traditional mail (make sure to make a note it is for the Rappstar Charity Challenge) at this address:
World Bicycle Relief
Attn: Development
1000 W Fulton Market
4th Floor
Chicago, IL 60607

Award drawing tickets will be assigned automatically from the donations, so please make sure to give us an email or phone number (or both) where we can reach you. 100% of your contributions are tax deductible and will be directed back to World Bicycle Relief. How does the Challenge work? Most of the basics remain the same as in previous years. You can donate ANY amount, but ONLY donations of $147 or more (the cost of one bicycle) will make you eligible to earn some of the great fundraising awards. For every multiple of $147 that you donate, you get another chance at an award. $294 earns you two chances, $441 earns you three, $588 earns you four, etc. This year we are again making a small tweak to honor those who have stepped up in a big way for us. This year, donations of 10 bikes ($1,470) or more will get an extra chance (so any donation of $1,470+ gets you one extra chance in honor of the 10th year of the fundraiser) for an award.

The first 100 donors have always gotten something special, and this year is no exception. Anyone who donates $147 or more will receive one of a limited edition of 100 beanies from BOCO Gear.

We will have more things up for grabs, but this year I've just been a bit behind getting this going thanks to try to do a good job in my actual day job (so weird...). And, since, weirdly, the regular working (non-pro-athlete) world doesn't seem to understand the idea of offseason. But I wanted to get this post up sooner (such as it is) than later, because people have been asking me if I'm doing it again. The answer is certainly yes. And I promise, just as every year, there will be some awesome things on tap.

This will also be the last year of this fundraiser. After a decade, it seems like the right time to put a final stamp on it. I'd love to say that I could do this indefinitely - and maybe I'll re-up it at some point, but this will be the end of the Rappstar Charity Challenge. Time to put a final punctuation mark on what has been an incredible - and incredibly rewarding - journey with WBR.

Thanks everyone for your incredible support over the years and for your belief in The Power Of Bicycles! We really have managed to change the world...

Jordan