Our hiStory
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In 2014, the Chicago theater community reeled at the sudden loss of a great many members of our community; young and old, many who left behind families who were grieving and in need of support. A bike ride in remembrance was organized the following summer to celebrate the lives of those we lost that year. After that first ride, a conversation started about the ongoing need within the theater community for emotional and financial support in the wake of catastrophic loss. Artists routinely face financial insecurity, but when an emergency arises, it often adds additional financial burden to situations of tremendous emotional distress. The Chicago Theater Bike Ride evolved from a simple ride of remembrance into a 100% volunteer organization with a mission to provide emergency relief to artists in crisis. We’ve been riding to remember and providing relief ever since.
Since our first Ride in 2015, we have provided more than $85,000 in small grants to assist with funeral costs, medical bills, fire losses, and other unforeseen crisis expenses; and during the unprecedented times of the pandemic, we dispersed more than $35,000 in microgrants to members of our community to assist with basic needs due to widespread unemployment in the community. If you or someone you know needs emergency assistance, find out how we can help. LOVE HARD. |
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“We in the theatre, we love hard. We love each other fully, and as we like to say in show business,
‘If you’re not going to need me, can I leave early?’ I don’t know who told Molly she could leave
early, because I still desperately need her, but we’ll make the show work somehow.”
-Joe Foust, at his wife and actor Molly Glynn’s memorial
‘If you’re not going to need me, can I leave early?’ I don’t know who told Molly she could leave
early, because I still desperately need her, but we’ll make the show work somehow.”
-Joe Foust, at his wife and actor Molly Glynn’s memorial