Handlebars for the Homeless Bicycle Tour highlights Detroit’s Neighborhoods and Homeless Community, Aug. 6

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Handlebars for the Homeless Bicycle Tour highlights Detroit’s Neighborhoods and Homeless Community, Aug. 6

Event brings cyclists together to explore the city and raise funds for 62-year-old nonprofit

DETROIT - Neighborhood Service Organization (NSO) will host its annual Handlebars for the Homeless, a 15-mile guided bicycle tour of Detroit’s hidden treasures, on Sunday, Aug. 6. Proceeds raised at the event will support NSO’s programs, including Homeless Recovery Services.

Welcoming beginner and avid cyclists, the ride will begin and end at the NSO Bell Building, located at 882 Oakman Blvd. in Detroit, which is home to 155 formerly homeless adults and is the 62-year-old organization’s headquarters. Participant check-in and on-site registration begins at 7 a.m. and includes light breakfast refreshments and distribution of a high-performance T-shirt, spoke card and entry into a drawing to win a bicycle from Detroit Bikes, painted bike helmet by Detroit artist Quinn Emery and more. The drawing takes place at the end of the event and is open to all registered participants. The winners must be present to win.

During the tour, which begins at 9 a.m. and ends at noon, participants will cycle through the campuses of University of Detroit-Mercy and Marygrove College, as well as the Sherwood Forest, Boston Edison and Palmer Park neighborhoods and Live6 Alliance area. Riders will see the community at “ground level” and have the opportunity to learn about NSO programs, including how the organization is working to end homelessness.

“NSO’s Handlebars for Homeless educates participants about the challenges that face the more than 5,000 homeless individuals living on our streets, while also highlighting some of Detroit’s most beautiful, thriving and up-and-coming neighborhoods,” said David Rudolph, a bicycle enthusiast, founder of Handlebars for the Homeless and NSO board member. “As Detroit and the nation prepare to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1967 rebellion, Handlebars for the Homeless’ route will take bicyclists through 12th Street and Clairmont, recognized as the epicenter of the rebellion, as well as to "Thomas Gordon Park,” which soon will be rededicated and commemorating the events of 1967."

For the third consecutive year, NSO is proud to partner with Detroit Bikes, which encourages cycling by making an accessible, enjoyable bicycle while continuing Detroit’s legacy of quality manufacturing and design. The Detroit-based business has generously donated the company’s original model, the A-Type bike, which retails at $699.99 and features a rich matte black powder coat finish. Emery, a student at the College for Creative Studies, will donate a customized hand-painted bike helmet. She uses high quality, oil enamel paint to make the bike helmets highly durable and weatherproof.

Online registration for individuals is $35 through July 22 or $40 afterwards or on-site. Special discount registration rates also are available through July 22 for small groups of four-to-nine cyclists and large teams of 10 or more. For additional information, sponsorship opportunities and to register, visit www.nso-mi.org or call 313-961-4890. Participants must be 14 years of age or older and all youth must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.

“As a local company, we are proud to lend our support to Neighborhood Service Organization and this wonderful annual event,” said Joseph S. Daly, J.D., general counsel with Daly Merritt Insurance, Ride Leader Sponsor of the event. “Funds raised from Handlebars for the Homeless are integral to providing a second chance to so many. We highly encourage experienced bikers and novices to join us for a fun and enlightening ride.”

For 62 years, NSO has provided life-changing and supportive programs to positively impact the lives of the community’s most vulnerable neighbors. The nonprofit’s consumers face multiple challenges that require a comprehensive approach to resolve. This is especially true for people who are homeless. Instead of simply managing the problem of homelessness, NSO is one of the largest forces in the region that works toward eliminating homelessness.

NSO Homeless Recovery Services include:

The Road Home, a dedicated mobile unit that makes direct contact with chronically homeless individuals afflicted with both mental health and substance abuse issues;

Tumaini Center, the only 24-hour walk-in crisis support center in the city of Detroit;

Supportive Housing, which employs the “Housing First” approach to move individuals who are homeless or living in shelters directly into permanent housing, along with support services;

Bridges and Shelter Plus Care, a scattered-site supportive housing program;

Projects For Assistance In Transition From Homelessness (PATH), which offers community mental health, case management and housing placement; and

NSO Bell Building, the largest permanent, supportive housing program with 155 one-bedroom apartments and support services for formerly homeless adults.

In addition to the support provided by Daly Merritt Insurance, NSO Handlebars for the Homeless is sponsored by: Meijer, AAA of Michigan, HAP, Plante Moran, Fusco Shaffer & Pappas Inc., Motorless City Bicycle Co., Detroit Bikes, Absopure, Superior Ambulance and Black Young Professionals.

Since 1955, NSO has been reaching out to people across metropolitan Detroit by strengthening and empowering neighborhoods, supporting families and helping people in need. Over the years, the scope and variety of services offered have grown into a network of sophisticated, vertically integrated programs that have received local, statewide and national recognition. Its mission, “Changing lives through innovative human services that harness the power of choice,” continues to impact the children, youth, adults and seniors they serve. To learn more about NSO, call 313-961-4890 or visit www.nso-mi.org.