The 6th annual Pedal on the Pier fundraiser took place Sunday, June 5 and transformed the Santa Monica Pier into a high energy, outdoor cycling studio, raising $840,000 for the Harold Robinson Foundation’s Camp Ubuntu, which provides L.A.’s underserved kids with a unique camp experience.
Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders made an appearance, encouraging riders that the U.S. should have “an economy that works for all people, not just the one percent” in a speech on-stage.
Celebrities such as model/actress Molly Sims, dancer/actress Debbie Allen, basketball star Paul Pierce, Pink Floyd Saxophonist Scott Page, who performed the National Anthem, actor/boxer Victor Ortiz and many more were also in attendance to ride and support the cause.
“What makes Pedal on the Pier so great and so unique is that it’s a super high energy, crazy fun, outdoor, physical, philanthropy, fundraising event at an iconic location looking out over the ocean,” said Joyce Hyser Robinson, co-founder of the Harold Robinson Foundation. “The event nets close to a million dollars, attracts around 1,500 participants and guests, and yet, has an intimacy and sense of community that is uncommon at most events of this size. We put our heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears into every aspect of Pedal on the Pier, and I really think it shows.”
This energetic outdoor cycling event featured more than 100 teams that pledged to raise a minimum of $2,500 each while pedaling on stationary bikes. The teams raised money for Los Angeles’ inner-city kids and families by providing them with the social, physical, intellectual, and emotional impact of a year-round, life-changing camp program.
With the Pacific Ocean as the backdrop, Pedal on the Pier’s 5-hour/100-mile spin-a-thon featured teams riding on SC3 indoor cycling bikes provided by Stages Cycling, live musical performances, DJs, celebrity guests, athletes, food and drinks from local restaurants, influential brands and more.
The Harold Robinson Foundation is a nonprofit that provides unity and community through the organization’s flagship program, Camp Ubuntu. It began with an idea from Jeff Robinson almost 20 years ago; that every child should have the same opportunities he had as a kid, no matter where they stand on the socioeconomic ladder. The Harold Robinson Foundation provides the funding and resources to send Los Angeles’s underserved children to camp, in a safe and nurturing environment, far away from the stress that most of them face on a daily basis. They also started a day camp in the center of Watts.
Ubuntu is an ancient South African philosophy that means, “I am because we are.” The Harold Robinson Foundation has adopted this philosophy as a tool to teach children the guiding principles of the foundation, which are family, respect, unity and community. This unifying principle frames all of Camp Ubuntu’s programming. This past year, Camp Ubuntu hosted more than 2,000 students from 20 high-need schools, mostly in the community of Watts
