Annual Dinner of 2011 a Great Success

On Dec. 13 2011, 130 people from across the State attended Bike Walk Connecticut's Annual Dinner at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) in New Britain.   The evening began with a social hour and time to peruse the wealth of silent auction items that lined the Constitution Room, including bicycles from Trek and Cannondale.

Following  a great dinner, Mary Collins, author of American Idle:  A Journey through our Sedentary Culture and CCSU professor, shared the writings of some of her students on the liberating qualities of being active. We then heard from the featured speaker, Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner James Redeker, who spoke of the cultural tranformation at DOT from a cars-only mindset to one embracing mass transit, bicycling, and walking as well.  Commissioner Redeker's message, as well as his willingness to answer questions from the audience, was enthusiastically received.

Ray Rauth of Weston was honored with Bike Walk Connecticut's President's Award, which recognized his work as first chair of the statewide Connecticut Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board.  Ray, a longtime supporter of bicycling and walking, is also chair of Weston's Bicycle Pedestrian Committee and is very active with Sound Cyclists, a local bicycling club.

Bike Walk Connecticut thanks the individuals, organizations, businesses, and bike shops who generously donated time, money, and silent auction items, purchased tables, made pick-ups and deliveries, arranged the dinner, and otherwise did the many, many things that go into a successful event.  We would especially like to acknowledge The Travelers, the dinner's corporate sponsor, and Cycling Sports Group, a Bike Walk CT Sustaining Corporate Sponsor.  We are most grateful for their generosity. And of course, we thank all of the volunteers who worked so hard to make this event a success.