A big part of advocacy is explaining to our elected officials why biking and walking is important in our communities. The numbers are easy to come up with - just look at this slick infographic created by Bikes Belong. What we need, though, are the personal stories about the difference that biking has made in your life here in Massachusetts. We made a good start with our "And I Ride" series, but we need more. Whether it's a childhood memory, thoughts on the importance of particular pieces of infrastructure, or anything in between we want to hear what you have to say!

Once we've collected the personal stories, the MassBike staff is going to choose the top three winners. The stories will be used during the upcoming Massachusetts Bike/Walk Summit to help communicate the importance of active transportation to our state legislators. We are also planning on starting a database with these stories for future use when we talk to elected officials across the state and in congress.

The best story will win a $50 gift certificate to the Cambridge Brewing Company, second place will win a Nite Rider Mako 3.0 light set, and third place will win a Resource Revival bottle opener, and the top three stories will be featured on MassBike's website.

If you have a story you want to share, please do the following:

1. • Make sure the story is no longer than 300 words.

• • Make sure it focuses on biking or walking and the impact it has had on your life. The stronger the emotional appeal, the better!

• • Include the name of your state representative and senator (found at this site)

• • Attach a photo of yourself or related to the story if possible.

• • Please send it in to [email protected] no later than Friday, April 27th.

Thanks so much, and happy storytelling!