The other night at a party, I met a fellow cyclist. When he found out I work for the BTA, he said, "wow, that's great!…me, I'm just a lowly commuter."

It got me to thinking about who the BTA works for. Unlike some nonprofit groups, very little of our funding comes from foundation grants. Instead, most of our budget comes from the donations of individuals and small businesses.

What does that mean for us? It means that we are responsible to the community we claim to represent. If we take on a project or position that our 4000 members don't like, we'll hear about it. And if the work we do doesn't successfully improve bicycling conditions in Oregon and Southwest Washington, our members will stop donating to us.

This means that we never stop thinking about how we can best serve our members and the cycling community. I've always liked the community focus that our membership base gives our work.

As I said to my new acquaintance, we only exist for and because of "lowly commuters" and other cyclists. Every day you do your part to help us succeed by getting on your bike, and once a year (or maybe more) you do your part by joining or renewing your membership.

So, thank you for the ways you help us make our city, region and state better for bicycles and the people who ride them!

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