By Kathy Chouteau

The Richmond Standard

Rich City Rides, a Richmond nonprofit that promotes cycling as a “social, sustainable, and green mode of transportation,” is embarking on a $6 million capital campaign to purchase its downtown Bike and Skate Shop and three additional owner-associated buildings in Richmond.

The landlord has given Rich City Rides a deadline of June 30 to raise the money, according to an employee.

The capital campaign not only seeks to fund the purchase of these buildings, but also to ensure “the long-term sustainability of Rich City’s vital community services,” per Rich City Rides Fund Development Manager Jayson Johnson in an email to the Standard.

The organization underscored that it has been at the forefront of issues facing Black and Brown communities in Richmond and West Contra Costa County.

The capital campaign will enable Rich City Rides to fulfill its vision for the properties, which it said includes:

• The Mothership, securing the home of Rich City Rides Bike Shop and the Rich City Gallery
• The Black Wellness Hub, a community center to enhance existing Unity Park programming and provide a home for Bay Area Black culture
• Black Childcare Cooperative Center, a center to provide high quality and culturally relevant childcare
• RICH Minds Work/Event/Residential Multiplex, an independent coworking and event space for Black and Brown entrepreneurs, to serve as a downtown hub for worker-owned cooperative enterprises.

In a video on the fundraising page, Rich City Rides Founding Executive Director Najari Smith said that “Together, we can redefine what Rich City means by giving marginalized people an opportunity to thrive with access to an abundance of all resources they need and also provide homes to those who need it most.”

To date, Rich City Rides has raised $41,631 toward its capital campaign and has more than $1,100,000 in commitments toward the $6 million purchase price of all four properties. To support the organization, donate to the capital campaign here: richcityrides.org.

Those preferring to send a check can mail it to: Urban Tilth, 323 Brookside D., Richmond, CA, 94801.

Please make the check out to Urban Tilth, Rich City Rides’ 501c3 fiscal sponsor, and indicate in the check’s memo that it is a donation to Rich City Rides.

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