About James

Formed in 1982 in Manchester, James rose to prominence in the 1990s with multiple top-10 singles, including “Sit Down,” “Laid,” “She’s a Star,” and “Come Home.” Known for their compelling live performances and lasting impact on both UK and international audiences, James has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. The band continues to engage fans through both their music and charitable initiatives. They are currently on a world tour, promoting their newest studio album “Yummy”.

• James Official Website
• James on Spotify
• James Wikipedia page

Raffle Prizes

Participants in the James Fanzone raffle will have the opportunity to win the following items:

• Andy Diagram’s Yummy Bike
• Yummy Bike Picture Book, signed by Andy Diagram
• Vinyl copy of the Pudding album, signed by all band members
• Setlist book, signed by the band (5 winners)
• Signed band photo
• VIP US & Canada Tour T-shirt

Raffle Timeline

The raffle is currently open, and winners will be announced on December 7th at James’s final concert of the tour in Braga, Portugal.

How to Participate

1. Visit The Ko-Fi Shop: Visit the Fully Signed James US and Canada Tour Setlist Book Cover listing in the Ko-fi Shop
2. Purchase Your Raffle Entry: Each digital download you add to your cart counts as one raffle entry and is priced at £2. Choose how many entries you’d like, add them to your cart.
3. Checkout & Complete Your Entry: Proceed to checkout. Payments can be made via PayPal or with a credit/debit card. Once your purchase is complete, you’ll be automatically entered into the raffle.
4. Stay Updated: Follow James Fanzone on Facebook for updates on the raffle drawing.

Important Note from James Fanzone

Due to platform policies, traditional raffle tickets cannot be sold directly. Instead, purchasing the digital download serves as an entry. The more entries you purchase, the greater your chances of winning. Winners will be selected randomly, with the first name drawn having first choice of the available prizes, followed by subsequent winners. Please ensure your contact information is accurate, as winners will be notified by email and must respond within three days to select their prize.

Supporting Asheville on Bikes

Proceeds from the raffle will support Asheville on Bikes and the commitment to promoting sustainable transportation and enhancing the community’s bike infrastructure. Your participation helps advance these efforts, fostering a more bike-friendly Asheville.

Feel free to spread the word about this unique opportunity to support a meaningful cause while celebrating the lasting legacy of James!

The post English Rock Band James’ Raffle to Support AOB appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

I’m excited to update you that Asheville on Bikes is 65% of the way toward our end-of-year goal of $125,000. The final uphill push is ahead. With your support, I’m confident we’ll get there. 

Throughout 2022, AoB has made considerable headway in our City.

Merrimon 4-3 conversion win

We successfully led the advocacy efforts to reconfigure Merrimon Ave to prioritize the safety of the people who use the corridor. 

Youth cycling expands

We expanded our youth cycling program to offer more cycling opportunities to the next generation while strengthening our partnerships with organizations like the Asheville City Schools Foundation, Youth Transformed for Life, and My Daddy Taught Me That.

AVL Unpaved wins TDA grant

We finalized and received funding for the first three AVL Unpaved trails which will provide a series of multi-use and single-track trails in the forested pockets of Asheville for all to enjoy. Thanks to your continued support, AoB is making an impact in how Asheville moves about.

Opposition:

We see opportunities and threats ahead in 2023. Resistance to the College / Patton Complete Street Project is organizing. City Councilperson Sandra Kilgore no longer supports the College / Patton Complete Street Project and criticized staff for working with the AoB:  

“…Council member Sandra Kilgore pushed back against the project, citing concerns about increased traffic and safety issues. She also said Asheville on Bikes was too influential on city decisions regarding bike lanes.” (Article, More bike lanes coming to downtown Asheville, Sept. 15, 2022)

Haywood Road:

West Asheville’s Haywood Rd is scheduled for resurfacing 2023, like Merrimon Avenue, the resurfacing is an opportunity to advance a more complete street through the West Asheville community. 

County needs guidance and input:

Buncombe County recently passed an open space bond package that will potentially fund greenways. It’s critical that county representatives are informed on which projects to prioritize with these limited funds. 

Please donate now to push our important work forward!

Faithfully,
Mike Sule
Executive Director

The post End of Year Giving– Support AoB and Help Change Asheville appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

The silent auction catalog includes a variety of cycling goods, local wares, and unique experiences. Peruse the catalog and check back for updates as items continue to arrive.

The post Bike Love Silent Auction appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

This year, your donation to Asheville on Bikes can get you something extra:

• 2021 AoB Membership Sticker!
• 2021 Bicycle Benefits sticker, which gets you discounts all over town!
• Custom AoB Water Bottle!
• Custom AoB Branded T-Shirt from Kitsbow!
• Custom T-Shirt from Kitsbow!
• Custom AoB Rockgeist Top Tube bag, size small, branded with the AoB patch!
• Custom AoB leather card wallet, from Oowee Products
• $100 in Kitsbow gift card spending!

You can donate now!

Raffle!

Each donation gets entries to win an electric cargo bike!

• $25 – 1 raffle
• $100 – 4 raffle tickets
• $200 – 8 raffle tickets
• $500 – 20 raffle tickets
• $1,000 – 40 raffle tickets

The drawing for the All Go Cargo Bike will be held on New Year’s Day.

But wait, there’s more!

In addition to the raffle, you get these items based on your donation amount:

$25 – Activate or renew your AoB annual membership at this amount and you’ll receive an AoB branded water bottle, AoB 2021 membership sticker, & bike benefits sticker.

$200 – Receive AoB branded Kitsbow t-shirt which features the electric butterfly from Asheville’s first street mural + AoB branded water bottle, AoB 2021 membership sticker, & bike benefits sticker.

$500 – Receive AoB branded Rockgeist cache top tube bag, Kitsbow t-shirt, AoB branded Kitsbow t-shirt which features the electric butterfly from Asheville’s first street mural + AoB branded water bottle, AoB 2021 membership sticker, & bike benefits sticker.

$1000 – Received $100 Kitsbow credit, AoB branded Oowee Products leather wallet & beverage coaster set, AoB branded Rockgeist cache top tube bag, Kitsbow t-shirt, AoB branded Kitsbow t-shirt which features the electric butterfly from Asheville’s first street mural + AoB branded water bottle, AoB 2021 membership sticker, & bike benefits sticker.

*Once you donate AoB will follow up regarding sizes and delivery.

Kitsbow, Rockgeist, and Oowee Products are each local to Asheville, making products that sell worldwide.

AoB Branded Kitsbow T-Shirt:

AoB Branded Leather Card Wallet:

AoB Branded Rockgeist Top Tube Bag:

Donation link, so you can take care of business!

The post 2020 AoB End of Year Fundraising Incentives appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

Your donation drives the change. Will you join our supporters during our end of year giving campaign? Our goal is $60,000. Donate now.

For 2020, an electric cargo bike raffle and other special gifts for donors!

• Match challenge! A donor has agreed to match the next $5000 we receive, prior to 12/9! Update: We met this match and are closing in on our goal!
• Swag! We are raffling a $2400 electric cargo bike that some lucky donor will win! You give, you get a little something extra! In addition to the bike, we have extra incentives based on your donated amount. Show your AoB chops with branded gear from Rockgeist, Kitsbow, Oowee, and more!

Here’s what the money does at Asheville on Bikes:

1. It teaches. Our education work creates new bike riders and teaches important life skills to middle school kids. We’ve been improving our program for more than 7 years, get rave reviews, and would like to grow to other campuses and student groups.
2. It persuades. Our advocacy work helps determine what gets built in Asheville and Buncombe County. Our work includes tactical urbanism projects where we build bike and pedestrian facilities on our streets with volunteer help and donations. We also write a lot of public comments, but we are a small nonprofit that attempts to shadow the work of the French Broad River MPO, the North Carolina DOT, the City of Asheville, and Buncombe County. We can do more and be better matched to influence these well funded institutions.
3. It creates happiness. Our events increase the number of people biking and create joy. We love to celebrate riding a bike. Help us improve the events we host and get more people out on their bikes.
4. It gets results. Read about our impact.

Did you know that:

• Asheville on Bikes won a major national award in 2020, Advocacy Organization of the Year from the League of American Bicyclists? Check it out.
• We have been asked to serve on the Governor’s MVC & Health Data Advisory Group?
• Our after school program at Asheville Middle School employs paid instructors and directly serves lower-income kids, some of whom are learning to ride a bike for the first time? It has been the most popular after school program since the inception of In Real Life (IRL) and we altered the program to run safely during the pandemic last summer. Video.
• We were the first to publish a plan for low-speed streets and pedestrian priority zones, intended to help limit the spread of Coronavirus and help local businesses? Our work includes a petition signed by more than 300. Signatories include individuals, businesses, and other groups, including the City of Asheville Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force. Right here.
• We make public comments on each transportation project in Asheville, as well as posting comment guidance for the public? Read some of our work.
• We helped build the largest tactical urbanism project in NC, on Coxe Avenue? Read the resulting study.
• We lobbied for the design change to get the protected two-way cycle track built as part of RADTIP? Reminisce here.
• We’ve had thousands of people participate in our events over the years? Ride with us.
• We share our ride database for free? It’s on RWGPS.

Donate and we can do even more.

• $500 can put a kid on a bike at Asheville Middle School in our after school program, including all the gear.
• $1000 can power the work to research and write additional advocacy documents, make public information requests, and publish public comment guidelines.
• $5000 can run an election year candidate forum or upgrade a public ride or event.
• $7500 can build a study with user feedback, like the Riverside Railroad Crossing Study, aimed to force the City to fix dangerous conditions.
• $10,000 can power scholarships and grants made to other groups, selected for their ability to solve specific bicycle and pedestrian problems.
• $20,000 could expand our middle school bicycle program at Asheville Middle School and  to other campuses.
• $50,000 would build an additional tactical urbanism project or allow us to partner directly with the City on projects like trail networks.
• $100,000 would allow us to hire a second staffer and dedicate more staff time to advocacy and direct input on public projects.
• $250,000 could change the scope of our work for years to come, allowing us to become a meaningful partner with regional land trusts. We could help avoid a future where key connectors disappear before a government entity can get up to speed.

Donate now. We have the capacity to put your donation to work.

Thank you!

The post 2020 End of Year Giving Campaign appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

Click here to donate to Asheville on Bikes.

Jon and Eddie are each long time Asheville on Bikes members and supporters. We appreciate their willingness to fund this match challenge. They also wanted to be public about their support, why they choose to give, and why our fundraising is important to the future of our City.

From Jon:

Asheville on Bikes continues to make Asheville a better place for me and my family to live. I’m a lifelong bike rider and have run businesses in Asheville for many years. I want people to know how good the work of Asheville on Bikes is.

My children have grown up on your group rides from the beginning, and I really appreciate the time I’ve been able to spend with my kids, exploring Asheville. Asheville on Bikes showed us the routes that we now ride as a family, like the Hominy Creek Greenway. – Jon Sarver

And Eddie:

As Asheville continues to grow it has become more important than ever to improve and expand upon the “bikeability” of our community. Asheville on Bikes is dedicated to this cause at every level. They are educators (riding programs for kids), planners (family/student bike event), activists (bike and political) and much much more. Our Company and my family have all benefited from the changes that Asheville on Bikes has affected in our community! Thank you! – Eddie Dewey

Jon runs Sarver Realty Group, a local real estate agency handling residential and commercial property. About Jon:

Jon arrived in Asheville in 1989 when he came to Warren Wilson College as a freshman. A former BMX racer, Jon quickly fell in love with the mountains and with mountain biking. In 1994, Jon and a fellow Warren Wilson alum started Asheville Bicycle Couriers, a bicycle messenger firm located in downtown Asheville. After growing the company to include deliveries via trucks and motorcycles, they sold the company in 2001. The following year, Jon became a licensed real estate broker and began his career in real estate sales and affordable housing development. Sarver Realty Group, LLC, was established in 2005 and has remained a small, vibrant firm dedicated to integrity and client satisfaction.

Eddie runs Dewey Property Advisors, a local commercial real estate agency. About Eddie:

Eddie is founder of Dewey Property Advisors where he oversees brokerage and acquisitions for the Firm. Eddie has transacted over 200 million in real estate brokerage, consulting and (re)development work in Greater Asheville. Eddie’s focus is primarily on local and regional investors, tenants, and developers. In addition to establishing Dewey Property Advisors in 2009, Eddie co-founded Altamus Property Management in 2014. Previously he was with Asheville Community developer Biltmore Farms and Brokerage Firm Spake Real Estate.

Both Jon and Eddie have raised families and worked in Asheville for many years. They are good examples of the behind-the-scenes leadership that both strengthens our City and pushes for a better future. Thank you both for supporting Asheville on Bikes.

Together we roll forward! Click here to donate to Asheville on Bikes.

The post New $5000 Match Challenge from Jon Sarver and Eddie Dewey appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

Click here to make a donation.

We have crossed the line early thanks to your generosity and have passed our initial match goal of $8000! That means your giving has helped Asheville on Bikes to raise $16,000 towards our year end goal of $60,000!

Thank you to all who have participated and thank you to our anonymous donor who made it possible.

What does it mean that you gave to Asheville on Bikes? It means…

1. You are helping to grow Asheville on Bikes
2. You are funding direct advocacy and lobbying efforts for bicycle infrastructure in Asheville
3. That another tactical urbanism project moves forward
4. Kids will learn to ride bikes in an urban setting at Asheville Middle School
5. Deep policy research and public comments will continue to be submitted as Asheville on Bikes, offered as input on projects involving our transportation network
6. More great events, both rides and parties, where we make new friends and share our experiences
7. Your world is becoming a better place as Asheville on Bikes reaches out for one of our key goals: to make Asheville the safest place to ride a bicycle in NC

Our match challenge also attracted attention. Another set of donors wants in on the fundraising action and they have stepped up to create a new match challenge!

Click here to make a donation.

Thank you!
Mike Sule

The post Thank you! $8000 match achieved. Now level up with a new match! appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

That means we have just two and a half weeks to raise $8,000 to take full advantage of their generous offer.

To continue our advocacy work, our goal is to reach $60,000 in donations by the end of the year—and we can’t do it without you. Donations from community businesses and bike-loving citizens directly benefit our work to improve infrastructure in our beloved mountain town.

So, as you prepare to make your end-of-year donations, or if you are looking for a sweet party with like-minded folks, please consider donating directly via our website or attending our annual Button Up for Bikes event on December 5th.

But wait, there’s more! For donors who give at $200 and above, we’ve arranged with Kitsbow for some unique donor benefits:

• $200 and above: Receive a Kitsbow limited-edition AoB branded t-shirt. Kitsbow prides itself on its “Dirt to Shirt” approach. The cotton is grown and harvested in NC, turned into a shirt, and dyed and manufactured in NC.
• $500 and above: Receive the Kitsbow limited edition AoB branded t-shirt and VIP tickets to Bike Love.
• $1,000 and above: In addition, receive a $175 gift card for clothing of your choice from Kitsbow! We have the capacity to put your charitable giving to work to improve the multi-modal nature of our city, and we appreciate your support.

Click here to donate and help us reach our goal!

The post Help Asheville on Bikes Meet Our 2019 End-of-Year Goals. Donor Will Match Up To $8,000! appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.