Cruising for a great new mountain bicycle and a way to support local higher education? Pedal no farther.

Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC) is hosting two bike raffles. The Cambridge Campus bike raffle will give away a new TREK 3500, valued at $349, donated by Outdoor Edge in Cambridge, Minn. The Coon Rapids Campus bike raffle will give away a new TREK 820, valued at $249.99, donated by Ramsey Bicycle in Ramsey, Minn.

The raffle at the Cambridge Campus will also include the chance to win: six passes to GTI Cambridge Cinema 5; four $10 gift certificates to Ace Tack & Outfitters; two backstage tours admission to the Guthrie Theater; one $50 gift certificate to Becker Furniture World; and a cake from Herman’s Bakery.

Tickets are on sale now for two Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC) bike raffles. A new TREK 3500 (retail value $349) donated by Outdoor Edge will be raffled at the Cambridge Campus.

A new TREK 820 (retail value $249) donated by Ramsey Bicycle will be raffled at the Coon Rapids Campus.

Other prizes will also be offered. Tickets are only $1 each. The drawing will be held Aug. 20.

The raffle at the Coon Rapids Campus will also include the chance to win: a large framed floral print donated by Art Effects (retail $300); a DVD player donated by Northeast Bank (retail $119); a "Moose at Water’s Edge" framed print donated by Passionista Boutique (retail $75); and a "Marian Gaborik-Minnesota Wild" framed print donated by Passionista Boutique (retail $50).

Tickets for both raffles are $1 each and can be purchased at the Cambridge Campus Center Information Desk (300 Spirit River Drive South) or the Coon Rapids Campus Institutional Advancement Office (11200 Mississippi Blvd N.W.).

The raffle drawings will take place Monday, Aug. 20 when Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) Foundation Trustee Emeritus Bob Erickson begins his bike tour to each of the 53 campuses in the MnSCU system to bring awareness to the financial needs of part-time students.

Erickson will arrive at ARCC Coon Rapids Campus River Plaza at 8 a.m. to draw for that campus’s bike. By 8:15 a.m., Erickson will begin pedaling to ARCC Cambridge Campus to pick that campus’s bicycle winner in the Food Court at 11 a.m.

After festivities at the Cambridge Campus, Erickson will continue to ride the 2,300-mile, month-long trek with the goal of raising money and building public support for increased financial aid available to Minnesota’s part-time college students, who often struggle to balance college with family and full-time work.

Last year’s event raised $860 for both campuses, which assisted in funding two $500 scholarships for ARCC students.

“You can’t begin to know how much we appreciate what you do,” says Kevin Bottiger, a Coon Rapids Campus student, Vice President of Student Government and recipient of the 2006-2007 Non-Traditional Student Scholarship.

For more information or to request raffle tickets, call the Anoka-Ramsey Community College Cambridge Campus Foundation at 763-433-1820 or the Coon Rapids Campus Institutional Advancement office at 763-433-1130.

ABOUT ANOKA-RAMSEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC), with campuses in Cambridge and Coon Rapids, has been a leading provider of higher education and training in East Central Minnesota since 1978 and the north suburban area of Minneapolis/St. Paul since 1965. Annually, the college serves more than 9,800 learners of all ages as they pursue associate degrees that transfer as the first two years of a bachelor's degree, or certificate programs that lead immediately to rewarding careers. ARCC is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System.