December 2012

Dear Friend,                                 

This is the time of year we typically pause to reflect on both the challenges we’ve faced and the things we’ve accomplished, and write to ask for your support for the coming year.  But Hurricane Sandy has brought a renewed sense of relevance and urgency to our work.  Over the past two weeks since Sandy hit, Time’s Up! activists have brought out the energy bikes we created last year for Occupy Wall Street to pump out flooded basements and charge cell phones in the blacked-out Lower East Side; provided low cost, recycled Dutch bikes at entrances to the bridges; and as we write, a contingent of volunteers are delivering blankets, food, and other necessary supplies by bike to people in the Rockaways, and will be going out again tomorrow.  

The storm had one positive result: both politicians and the media finally uttered the words climate change, seemingly for the first time.  Time’s Up! has been addressing climate change and its causes throughout our 25 year history, through both sustained work in our community and direct action on the street.  Thanks to our members, volunteers, and activists, we’ve actively promoted community gardens, sustainable infrastructure, and street design; led fun, engaging group bike rides and creative street actions; and taught thousands of people how to fix their bikes.  All of this helped us not only weather Superstorm Sandy, but helped us contribute to those in need around us.

Over the past year, we’ve engaged in a variety of campaigns in partnership with with other local organizations to make our city more sustainable and resilient to climate change.  Highlights include:

·    Anti-fracking, wind power, and renewable energy campaigns;
·    Community garden cleanups, opening new gardens, and protecting public spaces;
·    Hands-on bike repair classes on both sides of the Williamsburg Bridge.

In addition, we were featured in the Museum of City of New York’s social activism exhibit, and helped launch a new history museum, the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, opening this December.  Our work has received a great deal of media coverage this year, including mentions in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the East Villager and several other media outlets.

Thanks to dedicated volunteers and donors like you, Time’s Up! has been able to manage with a very modest budget. Your tax-deductible donations go directly to support our bike repair workshops, campaigns, media work, and rides.   

We hope that you will continue to be part of our work by making a year-end contribution to Time’s Up!  We’ve been here for 25 years, and with your support, we’ll be here another 25.  But we can’t do it without you!

Sincerely,

Bill Di Paola
Executive Director, TIME’S UP

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