Kosciusko County Velo Board Members and volunteers donated $5,000 to the newly established Ride+Walk Fund to Warsaw Assistant City Planner and Ride+Walk Warsaw+Winona Lake Coordinator Tim Dombrosky, K21 Health Foundation President Rich Haddad, and Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer. (Pictured from left to right): Megan Metzger, Bruce Lankenau, Fred Helfrich, Tim Dombrosky, Matt Metzger, Greg Demopoulos, Barry McManus, Todd Snyder, Hunter Metzger, Jacob Moore, Rich Haddad, Andy Cochran, Joe Thallemer, Rob Bishop, Russell Webb, Kami Johnson, and Chris Gaby.

Kosciusko County Velo Cycling has donated $5,000 to a newly established Ride+Walk Fund. The money will go to help reach the matching funds needed for the recent K21 Health Foundation’s 3-1 matching grant of $375,000 for the community’s Ride+Walk project on East Market Street, which includes the addition of a world-class pedestrian and bicycle-friendly trail design, helping to eventually connect trails in Warsaw and Winona Lake.

“Although we’re a small non-profit, fully run by volunteers, we have a large mission focused on helping the community through our shared passion for bicycling,” said KVC President, Greg Demopoulos. “It is an honor to be able to donate to a community initiative we are so proud of. It’s ultimately what we want to do as an organization, raise awareness for the benefits of bicycling, offer activities and education to help improve community health, and encourage others in the community to join us in raising funds to build trails and provide access to the infrastructure needed to make our community a better place to live, work, and play.”

The Ride+Walk Fund held in partnership with K21 Health Foundation will allow for organizations and individuals to easily make donations for future infrastructure and education improvements outlined by the Ride+Walk Master Plan. In 2012, the Ride +Walk Master Plan was developed through several public input meetings in coordination with the Indiana Department of Health, the city of Warsaw, and the town of Winona Lake.

“Our hope is that our entire community embraces whatever healthy living opportunities are available to them, and interests them. Supporting the progress through advocacy, financial donations, volunteerism, and lifestyle commitments are important for everyone to provide a vibrant community,” said K21 Health Foundation President and CEO Rich Haddad.

“The persistent grassroots efforts of Kosciusko County Velo have been the catalyst for the Indiana Department of Health planning grant that funded our current Ride+Walk Master Plan. They have also been foundational to the significant progress we have made over the past three years to develop and grow our Ride+Walk infrastructure,” said Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer. “Private donations from individuals and organizations are most critical to assist as match funds to leverage public allocations and grant opportunities. The growth of our community trail system has gained tremendous momentum. It is now up to all of us to sustain that growth!”

“Ride+Walk Warsaw + Winona Lake is about making it as safe, easy, and fun as possible to get from here to there. KCV does a wonderful job of ‘getting the wheels rolling,’ and when those riders want to integrate bikes further into their daily routine, we have a great team of partners working together to make that possible. The challenges that come with this integration are as diverse as the members of our community, and it takes a village, and a city, to make it happen,” said Warsaw Assistant City Planner and coordinator Tim Dombrosky.

Donations can be made to the Ride+Walk Fund through the Ride+Walk Warsaw+Winona Lake website at www.ridewalk.com or through the K21 Health Foundation website at www.k21foundation.org