This fundraiser is an effort to unite people in the Pittsburgh area whose employers provide free public transportation, and to transform that perk into an impactful way to give back to our community.

I work at the University of Pittsburgh. I ride the bus to work every day, and mindlessly swipe my ID as I breeze past the bus driver to my seat. But for many in our community, commuting to work adds up to a significant expense. If you ride the bus both ways and pay $2.75 in cash each time, that's $5.50 a day, or $1,430 a year (the fundraising goal of this campaign). For someone working full time at the minimum wage of $7.25/hr, that amounts to 10% of their gross income. Consider, for a moment, what 10% of your salary is, then divide that by 12. What kind of impact would this monthly expense have on your life?

If you are someone whose employer foots this bill, could you pay $5.50 once a month to help an out-of- work adult secure reliable transportation so that they can find – and keep – their job? If so, please give.

It's my vision to grow this fundraiser into a campaign where local employers offer this as an auto-deduction from payroll. But first, I want to build a groundswell of support to demonstrate that people want this opportunity to give back. If this idea excites you, please give whatever amount makes sense to you, be that $5.50 (one day's commute), $55.00 (ten work days), or $550 (100 work days).

Thank you for supporting our community!