TUCSON, ARIZONA -- Charity, community, health and wellness are what Perimeter Bicycling and El Tour de Tucson are all about.
They all go hand-in-hand when it comes to building awareness for a bike ride on November 20, 2021 this year. A bike ride that has been part of the Tucson community for nearly four decades.
As we head into the 38th anniversary of El Tour de Tucson, Perimeter Bicycling wants to emphasize that El Tour de Tucson enables nonprofit, charitable agencies to raise funds for their respective organizations. Learn about their programs and sign up to ride on their teams here.
The El Tour de Tucson was canceled last year due to the pandemic, so Easterseals is dedicating this year’s ride in memory of Ryan W Heinfeld, CCIM, who passed away in August 2019.
Ryan’s Team, currently with 15 members, will be riding in the El Tour for Easterseals’ Blake Foundation Aviva Children's Services (EBFA) and have already raised over $35,000 towards the goal of $50,000 this year.
Aviva Children's Services provides enhanced services to children in the care of Child Protective Services who are victims of abuse, neglect and poverty. For over 40 years, Aviva Children’s Services has worked to fulfill its mission responding to the needs of children in foster care by providing programs and resources to develop their self-esteem and well-being as well as supplying necessity items such as clothing, shoes, blankets and personal care items.
The State of Arizona classifies EBFA as a Qualifying Foster Care Organization and offers a dollar for dollar credit on your Arizona income tax return. Your donation is eligible for a tax credit of $500 for single taxpayers, $1,000 for married filing jointly. Click here to Donate
The Foster Care Organization tax credit is in addition to any Qualifying Charitable Organization, public or private school tax credits you may be claiming. If you have no Arizona tax liability for the current year, you may carry the tax credit forward up to five years.
Tax credits are a way for Arizona taxpayers to direct their taxes to organizations and causes that are important to them.
In 2019, El Tour reached a significant milestone in being the facilitator for helping charities go over the $100 million mark through Perimeter’s 37 years of charity work. In 2019, charities raised more than $5.8 million, moving the overall total to $101 million since El Tour started in 1983.
El Tour has come a long way, given in that 1983 with fewer than 200 cyclists, El Tour raised $4,500 in its first ride.
Since then, more than 270,000 cyclists have ridden in Perimeter events. El Tour, of course, has grown considerably since its inception, but the message has long been constant: charity, community, health and wellness through a strong and committed group of nonprofits, thousands of dedicated cyclists and volunteers who know the power of teamwork.
Contact Gary Heinfeld at [email protected] if you would like to join the Ryan Team.
PHOTO: Ryan W Heinfeld, CCIM