Real Estate Mogul And SoulCycle Founding Senior Master Instructor Joining Forces For 7th Annual Ride For Kids

SoulCycle Founding Senior Master Instructor Stacey Griffith and Real Estate Industry Leader Louise Phillips Forbes are joining forces for the seventh annual Ride for Kids at SoulCycle Bridgehampton on Thursday, August 23 at 5:45 p.m. More than 70 athletes, fans, and friends will congregate to raise funds for NYC education nonprofit Change for Kids and the 13 NYC public elementary schools that it serves.

In previous years, Ride for Kids has raised more than $100,000 for Change for Kids and brought supplies, fitness education, art, and literacy support to thousands of children. This year’s event will ensure that students at Change for Kids partner schools have access to critical resources like strategic leaders and enrichment programs.

For close to 30 years, Louise Phillips Forbes has been an industry leader in NYC’s residential real estate market with career sales exceeding $3.2 billion. She is a multi-time winner of Halstead Real Estate’s esteemed Broker-of-the-Year aware and she currently leads the firm’s #1 sales team. Additionally, Forbes represents buyers and sellers throughout Manhattan, as well as luxury developers.

Griffith will once again host and lead this year’s SoulCycle ride. She has been hailed as a “miracle worker” by her cult-like band of indoor cyclists.

Ride for Kids will take place in the SoulCycle Bridgehampton Barn. Bikes in the first row are available for $350, in the second row for $250, and in the third an following rows for $200.

We caught up with Louise Phillips Forbes to learn more about her involvement with Ride for Kids:

Why have you chosen to focus so much of your attention on fundraising for youth organizations?

LPF: I have a degree in early childhood education and I’ve worked with special needs children in the past, but having been undiagnosed with dyslexia for far too long during my own schooling, I have a deep connection to making sure children receive every tool they need to be successful in this life. Meeting the founder of Change for Kids (CFK) in 1997 gave me the ability to do more than simply write a check. It gave me an opportunity to have a more direct impact by investing my time and resources, not just my money. I know that I can’t change the system, but I can have an effect on one child at a time, one class at a time, one school at a time, in one community at a time. I have seen first-hand the success CFK is having within their 12 NYC public elementary partner schools to help thousands of students develop creatively, socially, and academically through the implementation of their sustainable programs in literacy, arts, health, and other essential educational resources that help pave the path to a brighter future. It’s awesome!

Can you speak a bit to the upcoming Ride for Kids and why this is so important to you?

LPF: It combines two of my biggest passions – SoulCycle and philanthropy! There’s nothing better than riding for a purpose, and as my southern mama always said, “you’ve got to give it away to keep it.” This annual event has raised more than $100,000 over the years thanks in big part to the generosity of long-time sponsor SoulCycle, lead by Melanie Whelan, donating The Barn in Bridgehampton every summer. But it’s my dear friend Stacey Griffith whose energy and reputation draws people into the event. She donates her time and co-hosts with me because she shares my enthusiasm for raising much needed funding for public schools and under privileged children. Many of the dollars raised go directly towards implementing CFK’s fitness and nutrition awareness programs, which Stacey helped initiate and launch in 2009. The program educates young kids about the importance of physical fitness and nutrition, especially as it relates to fueling the brain so they perform better in school. Knowledge is power and we are empowering them to live healthier, happier lives so that they can go on to achieve greatness for their communities and for the world. The younger generations are the future! Other sponsors of the event include: Zing Bars, Spotify, Equinox, and Harmless Coconut Water.

What are some of your favorite Hamptons pastimes?

LPF: Obviously, I’m a regular at SoulCycle classes but when I’m not spinning you can usually find me surfing the waves with my husband and two sons in Ditch Plains. It’s a family affair for us and we’ve been fortunate enough to surf all over the world. But I also enjoy beating the crowds at Round Swamp Farmers Market and dining out at my favorite Montauk staples like Scarpetta’s, Surf Lodge, Crow’s Nest and Navy Beach. Many of these fine establishments are also donating towards a Montauk Madness Package that will be auctioned off live at the end of the ride on August 23rd. The package will include surf lessons from Corey’s Wave and Surf Continuum with Coach Chris, as well as valuable gift certificates for dinners and spa treatments, among other notable Montauk treasures and luxuries.

SoulCycle Bridgehampton is located at 264 Butter Lane, Bridgehampton. To reserve your bike at Ride for Kids, visit change.nonprofitsoapbox.com.