2024 Ruff Ride Philadelphia

THE EVENT

Join Team Foster on June 1-2 at the historic 23rd Street Armory for Ruff Ride Philadelphia! Ruff Ride is part festival, part competition, bringing together a fantastic community of companies, organizations, and groups of friends to form teams to sponsor a stationary spin bike. Teams compete against each other for bragging rights throughout the event all while raising funds for Team Foster. Ruff Ride is literally the only event of its kind, bringing all the fun and energy you can handle for 24 hours.

Each registered team is assigned a spin bike. Fill your team with civilians, Vets, athletes, or non-athletes to take turns keeping your team's bike going for 24 consecutive hours. Your team can be 5 or 50 riders. Teammates can ride for 10 minutes or 10 hours. It's up to you! Team Foster provides the bikes, the fun, and the dogs, YOU provide the team.

As a Ruff Rider, you become part of something bigger as you raise money to help injured Veterans. Individuals must raise at least $100 per person and teams are asked to raise at least $2,000 collectively. This is a commitment to raise the committed minimum amount. Riders who do not meet the minimum may be charged or contacted for more information. See below: teams are eligible to recruit event sponsors which counts towards your team fundraising goal!

THE MISSION

NO HERO LEFT BEHIND: 20+ Veterans and service members lose the battle to suicide every day. Ruff Ride raises money for Team Foster, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit dedicated raising money to provide accredited, life-saving service dogs to injured and disabled Veterans. . Despite the proven efficacy of service dogs, the U.S. military nor the VA, nor the government provide adequate support for service dogs for Veterans. While service dogs are vital tools in rehabilitation and recovery, they are also expensive and resource intensive. One service dog takes two years and more than $30,000 to properly trainer and partner with an injured Veteran. Team Foster fills that gap. #NoHeroLeftBehind.

Team Foster honors the spirit and sacrifice of Captain Erick Foster who was killed while engaging enemy forces in 2007 in Iraq. CPT Foster was a warrior, a leader, and an inspiration. He pushed himself and those around him to be better—to go a little farther, to give a little more, and he was the consummate teammate. So that’s what Team Foster does. We go a little farther, give a little more to support the service men and women who kept us safe.