During the week preceding October 7th, we were still busy with the final preparations for the third edition of “The Hero’s Path” - our organization’s annual fundraising cycling event. The Hero’s Path follows the heroic path of Gino Bartali, an Italian champion road cyclist who played an important role in the rescue of Jews in Nazi-occupied Italy.
On Saturday morning, October 7th, our lives changed forever - and so did our priorities. Since the war broke out, we have been faced with grief and destruction the kind of which we never experienced before. But we know that despite these tragic circumstances we must undertake a huge responsibility: strengthening the home front, with special emphasis on children and youth who were torn from their homes and witnessed shocking sights and violent scenes and need us now more than ever.
Therefore, we decided to carry out the following activities:
* Maintaining our training routine for our students at the cycling centers following instructions from the Home Front Command.
* Setting up joint riding sessions with children and youth who were evacuated from the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip. This will be carried out by coming to the locations where the evacuees have been staying, with all necessary cycling equipment.
* Establishing a fund dedicated to rehabilitating and reinforcing through cycling - for the children and youth of the surrounding Gaza Strip.
The Kilometers Challenge
Launching will start on Friday, October 20th, at 10:00am (Israel time) and end on Sunday, October 22nd at 10:00pm (Israel time). Bartali youth, alumni and staff will challenge themselves by riding as many laps and kilometers as possible - in specific locations or on trainers, following instructions of the Home Front Command.
Cycling will take place, concurrently, at the following locations:
WIZO Nahalal Youth Village
Ramat Hadassah Youth Village
Ben Shemen Youth Village
Ahava Boarding School
Malkishua Rehabilitation Village
Our Goals:
Each participant will set a realistic riding goal for him or herself. Each kilometer covered by the participant will be translated into a donation.
Donations raised (NIS):
146,737
Kilometres ridden:
0
About Us
Bartali - Youth in Movement operates a network of cycling centers for at-risk youth aged 13-18, who live mainly in youth villages and welfare boarding facilities throughout Israel, as a platform for social mobility.
The organization leverages the enormous power inherent in long-distance offroad cycling journeys to strengthen the youth's resilience, develop a sense of belonging, and encourage ambition and a growth mindset.
This is so that when the time comes, they will be able to integrate optimally into Israeli society.
