Reflections of 2022

Dear friends, 

2022 was a very big year for Brake the Cycle. Having survived the Pandemic and the related challenges of gathering in a group, we celebrated our first year as a stand alone Non Profit, which is no small achievement. After 11 years, the dream of being an independent organization while keeping World Vision as our implementing partner has come true. Our goal remains the same: to help people "Brake the Cycle" of poverty in Zambia by providing access to clean water. Clean water combined with education about hygiene and safe sanitation protocols have been proven to allow entire communities to lift themselves out of poverty.

 Our end of year update:

  • We raised over $250,000 including donor support and board member contributions. With your support, the plan to finish the job of bringing clean water to the entire country of Zambia could be finished as soon as 2025.

  • Our efforts have resulted in multiple community wells being drilled and providing direct access to clean water for communities benefiting hundreds of people. There were even multiple well dedications to some of our amazing donors: Rossmore Properties and SIMALFA | KulKote. 

  • The Aspen Invitational, our annual cycling event, was a huge success. This year we added a mountain bike option, we hosted a Friday tea with the amazing team from World Vision that came to Aspen to educate us about what is happening in the field, the Appleby’s hosted an intimate dinner for the riders and pros, and Allison and Eric Mangelsen put together an incredible kids’ event during the ride – bringing our multigenerational message full circle. 

  • The power of our message was never more evident than when a group of four elementary and preschool kids that attended the first BTC kids event raised $100 on the Aspen golf course after hearing our message. They made signs, served cookies and lemonade, and did an impressive job of articulating the need for our work in Zambia. They raised enough money to provide clean water for two people for a lifetime. Incredible impact at such a young age! 

  • We held our inaugural gravel ride in the Atlanta area in October to test our ability to replicate our Aspen event. Gravel bikes are the new road bikes so we hope to go big in 2023 to expand this event! A big thank you to Kristie and Danny Preston and Eleanor Adams for being our Georgia Ambassadors.

We already have big plans for 2023, stay tuned!

Warm regards, 

The Brake the Cycle Board

Alana Appleby