Dear friends, family, and community,

If you know me, you know I’m usually covered in paint, not riding bikes long distances. But this year I’m doing something new (and a little wild for me): I’m riding in Ride 4A Reason, a bike ride to Sacramento that raises funds for public schools in Oakland and Alameda.

I’ll be riding alongside my crew from LIFE Academy and Barrio Y Kultura, a mural collective I co-founded this year with fellow artists and educators who believe deeply in the power of art, culture, and community.

My soul lives in art and teaching. Watching my students at LIFE Academy discover themselves through creativity and healing through art is one of the greatest blessings of my life. My students, my community, and this city give me so much, this ride is one small way I can give back.

I’ll be riding the 45-mile route from Vacaville to Sacramento, so please send all the hydration blessings my way! 100% of the funds raised support field trips, arts programs, sports teams, and meaningful opportunities for students across Oakland and Alameda.If you’re able to support, whatever you can- it truly makes a difference.

Thank you for always supporting my art, my work, and the young people who inspire me every day.

With love,
Lily 

Last year, thanks to the riders and supporters of Ride 4A Reason, more than 6,000 kids in eleven public schools in Oakland and Alameda had field trips, got to visit their school libraries, experienced the awe of river rafting, and wore official team uniforms for their sports teams -- for many, these were firsts.  

This is the 17th year that R4R will be making the trek to Sacramento and I’m proud to be part of it. Over this time the ride has raised close to $1.8 million for public schools in Oakland and Alameda. 

COVID-19 highlighted the glaring inequities in our education system, and, especially now that the short-term funding from the pandemic years has expired, the challenges facing our school children are as great as ever. I’m even more committed to ride and raise awareness for our dismally underfunded Oakland school system that affects us all as students, parents, teachers, and neighbors.

My goal is to raise $500 by the time I hop on my bike on April 26th - can you donate today to help me get there?  100% of the funds I raise will go directly to these public schools in Oakland and Alameda. 

PS. If you want to send in a check, you can make it payable to "Social Good Fund" and put "R4R 2026" in the memo line.  You can mail it to:

Tax ID: 

Ride 4A Reason
PO Box 11386
Oakland, CA  94611