Street Pedaler

First, to the Moderator(s), if this is inappropriate, please feel free to move/ delete as you see fit.

I found a really cool little App for iPhone/Droid called "Charity Miles". It's a free App that tracks your mileage while walking, jogging, or cycling and, thru corporate sponsors, donates "X" amount of money to charity for every mile that you complete. It doesn't cost you anything and you don't have to hit your friends or family up for money. You just have to do what you already are doing anyway with the App turned on and the miles you accumulate not only help you, but they help someone else, too. I think there are about half a dozen charities on the App right now but that number will, hopefully grow.

This morning I rode 28 miles for the Fox Foundation to help in the battle to find a cure for Parkinson's Disease. It's a pretty neat thing.

RedC

I'm finding "Charity Miles" but not Miles for Charity are they the same

Street Pedaler

Whoops, my bad. I wrote the title wrong, Red. Yes, same App.

EDIT: I fixed it in the original post. Thanks for catching that.

PhotoJoe 

Interesting, indeed!

Street Pedaler

Joe, I thought so, too. Just wanted to share.

Laserman

Okay, call me a pessimist.

Someone gives you a FREE app that updates a database somewhere with your position in real time.
Who exactly is that someone? Where exactly is that database?

I foresee that one day when you are miles from home a courtesy vehicle from "Two Thugs and a Truck" will back up to your door and relieve you of excess material possessions.

Street Pedaler

OK. you're a pessimist.

aggst1

I m typically not a pessimist but I had similar thoughts while reading the OP. My question is how does the charity receive its money and from who? The corporate sponsors ? Since as we all know NOTHING in life is free, I suspect the app developer is collecting something valuable to them and that is your data. They sell it to "corporate sponsors" ... Now if they indeed make a donation or not thats a different story. That data is your name, address, email, and all your mileage weather jogging or biking along with gps coordinates, dates etc. They even know your performance...

I bet $100 that something along these lines is going on. What I don't like with things like this is they use people's good will for their profit and in return they throw a buck to some charity...

Street Pedaler

What I give to charity is between God and me. What the charity does with my contribution is between God and them. Pretty much ANY charitable contribution is subject to the same risks. All I can do is my part and this doesn't cost me a penny. To use this App you have to be signed up with FaceBook and, if you are, your info is already out there. I would also have to believe that, if it wasn't above board, the charities involved would be stepping in with a "Whoa, wait a minute!" in that their reputation is their survival. As far as black limousines with masked thugs tracking me down to rob me of my worldly goods, the same, I suppose, would hold true of Strava or any other of countless other Apps used to track mileage. I'm not going to try to justify the App. If you don't feel comfortable with it, that's your choice. But I've been using it for a while and have had not ill tidings come my way as a result. YMMV.