Moriah Wilson’s Family Created a Charity. It’s Already Giving Back.
This article originally appeared on Outside
Even in the early stages of her professional cycling career, Moriah Wilson thought about how she could help others.
Wilson, who was tragically killed in May, 2022 at age 25, realized quickly that she could use her platform from pro cycling for good. She'd already benefited from the support and inspiration of others; why not begin to give back as soon as she could? In her journals, on social media, and in her conversations with her family and others in the sport, Wilson gave a clear indication of what was important to her and how she planned to use her burgeoning status as a well-known athlete.
"I don't think it came naturally for her to be at the center of attention in any way," Wilson's brother Matt Wilson told me. "One of the ways she was going to be able to deal with it and be more comfortable with it was to use it in a way that wasn't all about her. To use it in a way to impact the community, cycling, sports, youth, and giving back."
Shortly after Wilson died, her family--Matt and her parents Karen and Eric--set to making Moriah's vision a reality. In the summer of 2022, they launched the Moriah Wilson Foundation, a charitable organization that would honor Moriah's legacy by supporting the very causes she was passionate about.
The Wilson's officially incorporated the foundation on October 2, 2023 and they are now awaiting 501(c)3 status. In its short existence, the foundation has already raised some $300,000 for various causes, and the Wilsons and a newly-appointed board of directors have set about planning its future.
A Compressed Timeline
Moriah's death prompted an outpouring of support from the cycling community. Nearly all her sponsors contributed to the foundation in some way, whether through a direct donation, a fundraiser, or support of the Ride for Mo cycling event, which was held on May 13, 2023 in Burke, Vermont.
The Feed, Wilson's nutrition sponsor, raised over $80,000 by selling water bottles emblazoned with the slogan "Ride Like Mo." A brewery in San Diego called Rouleur brewed a special beer, MoMentum, netting about $3,000. SRAM, Gu, the Meteor, Supersapiens, and other brands kicked in more cash.
But it wasn't just the bike industry that showed support for the foundation. Close to 1,000 people donated through a GoFundMe campaign, which raised $140,000.
So, where has the money gone? Most of the cash sits in a donor-advised fund, awaiting the foundation's 501(c)3 approval. The Wilson family has already allocated some dollars to causes that were very close to Moriah's heart.
Early this spring, Vermont's Burke Mountain Academy created the Moriah Wilson '14 Legacy Fund in honor of Wilson, who graduated from the ski academy in 2014. The Wilsons and the Moriah Wilson Foundation donated $100,000 to the fund, and the money will provide financial assistance for training and racing to Burke athletes. The fund gives special consideration to families from Vermont's Northeast Kingdom region, which is where Wilson grew up.
Burke has impacted every member of the Wilson family--Matt and Eric both graduated from the school, Eric previously worked there as a ski coach, and now Matt does, too.
Matt told me that focusing the foundation's work on local families and institutions has helped the family navigate the devastating grief from losing Moriah.
In May, they hosted the first annual Ride for Mo, a small cycling event in the town of Burke. Friends, family, and the local community showed up in droves to support the event. The Wildflower, a local inn, donated the event space (and will do so in perpetuity), and Specialized hosted a reception, donated a bike, and provided mechanics. Promoters of other bike events--Ian and Gretchen Boswell, Heidi Meyers from Rasputitsa, and Jon and Pamela Robichaud of the Ranger--shared logistical know-how. Scenic Tents, Colavita Pizza, Lawson's Liquids and Skratch also contributed.
Ride for Mo raised $20,000, which was given to Kingdom Kids, a Northeast Kingdom non-profit that helps children gain access to the outdoors. A raffle of a Specialized bike brought in $6,000, which went to the Moriah Wilson Foundation.
The second annual Ride for Mo event is planned for May 11, 2024 in Burke, Vermont.
The Ride for Mo Event
Matt told me that, for 2024, the foundation's biggest goal is for the seven-member board of the directors to find its footing as a non-profit.
The Wilson family says that, for now, the foundation plans to take a "wide vs. deep" approach to giving, and will focus its support on school programs and summer camps that provide access to sport and recreation to youth in the Northeast Kingdom and throughout Vermont.
Eventually, Matt says, the foundation will provide deeper support of specific individuals and programs.
"First, we want to provide a minimal level of access to a larger group of people," he says. "Then another angle is how we're able to use that understanding of the landscape of cycling in Vermont and the Northeast Kingdom to help young cyclists who have big dreams. To help them financially go to races, fund their development in sport.
"So, there will be two directions of giving, starting with wide funding for basic needs to get more kids on bikes, and in the future being able to help people go further with their dreams."
However, the foundation doesn't plan to stop with financial support. Just as Moriah Wilson knew she wanted to help young riders who'd once been aspiring pros like herself, her mother Karen sees the foundation using its platform similarly.
"I remember Moriah went through that, asking 'how do I get started?' She wanted to ask Georgia Gould how she did it. Mentorship was something Moriah was passionate about and may have been a direction she was headed," Karen said.
As the Wilson family and the board of the foundation begin to hone in on its goals and priorities, it's clear that Moriah's vision will always serve as the guiding light.
Give to the Moriah Wilson Foundation here.
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