Tour de Cupcake and other things to be thankful for

Tour de Cupcake
Butte Bicycle Coalition is holding its first-ever Tour de Cupcake on May 20, from noon-2:30 p.m. The ride is modeled on urban bike-messenger races—“a way for bike messengers to be challenged in knowing the quickest routes from point A to point B and so on,” wrote Laurie Niles. Maps will be given out on day of the ride; choose your route and score points (and cupcakes!) for checking in at bike-route stops. Awards given for best-decorated theme bike, most points gathered and fastest rider.

Learn more and register at www.buttebicyclecoalition.org (or sign up at Lyon Books, 121 West Fifth St.). The fundraiser costs $15 per rider, $5 each for kids and $25 for a family of four. Proceeds go to support Butte Bicycle Coalition. For more info, call Niles at 342-1995.

A tidal wave of gratitude
Last week, a large, mysterious- and artistic-looking envelope arrived at the News & Review office, made from recycled grocery bags sewn together, and containing two little blue-satin bags each holding a penny with glitter glued on it and a number of cards of different sizes saying such things as, “Why not contribute to world peace today? Pass your unique kindness on to two people and ask that they do the same,” “The Universe is like a mirror of the soul. If you don’t like what you see, only you can change that. Thanks for being you!” and “Did You Really Do Everything Kind?”

A handwritten letter advises that “we are the super human force behind www.gratitudetsunami.com,” and to “pass around these little thank-you cards to as many people in your office as possible.”

A typed letter says: “I have taken a lot of time to make sure that every package is made with the most love and appreciation I am able to put into it. Please don’t just toss it out and disregard it. I would really like to put a smile on as many people’s faces as I possibly can.” Besides the CN&R, similar packages were sent to the San Francisco Chronicle, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, the San Diego U-T and Santa Cruz’s Café Gratitude.

Check out the Gratitude Tsunami website to learn more about this refreshing project.

Safeway apologizes
Last week, I wrote about the negative experience I had at Safeway on Mangrove Avenue when I was helping the teachers and students of Rose Scott Open-Structured School sell raffle tickets to help pay for curriculum to help students—many of whom are on the autistic spectrum—with social skills. Despite having been given permission by store Manager Art Campion, we were unceremoniously given the boot by an assistant manager, as well as threatened with having our pictures taken and sent to Safeway’s corporate legal division, and given a “notice of trespass.”

Turns out, Campion was on vacation at the time of the incident, and when he returned, he said it should never have occurred and that we were welcome to stand in front of his store to raise money. He apologized to school Director Cindy Carlson and gave the school a $150 Safeway gift card that will be used to fund Rose Scott’s year-end party.

Rose Scott School will be selling raffle tickets (first prize is a gold-and-diamond necklace designed and donated by local jewelry designer Geralyn Sheridan; second prize is an Apple iPad 2) in front of the Mangrove Safeway on May 18, 25 and 31, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tickets, which are $5 each or five for $20, may also be obtained by calling 354-3101. Go to www.rosescottschool.com for more info on Rose Scott Open-Structured School.