Jackson Free Press

Kingsport, Tenn.-native Melody Moody came to Mississippi to attend Belhaven University in 1999. Her bachelor's degree in religious studies, which she earned in 2003, was a step on her way to work in nonprofits, a path she augmented with a master's in international development and advocacy from Eastern University in Philadelphia, Penn., in 2009. She stuck with Jackson, though, doing the majority of her master's studies remotely while working for the Neighborhood Christian Center.

"Pretty much my entire professional career has been with nonprofits ... particularly with low-income communities," Moody says.

Now 32, Moody works with Bike Walk Mississippi, an organization that advocates expanding access and improving safety for bike riders and pedestrians in Mississippi. Bike Walk began in the early '90s as the Bicycle Advocacy Group of Mississippi, and adopted "Bike Walk" in solidarity with other statewide groups using the same name, such as Bike Walk Tennessee and Bike Walk California, a few years ago.

"They saw the need to have a statewide presence," Moody says.

The name also means the group advocates for pedestrian safety and not just for bicyclists. "It's about people of all types being able to travel safely or have infrastructure that supports that."

The group was instrumental in getting a "3-foot" law passed in 2010 mandating that vehicles share the roads by giving bike riders a 3-foot berth.

Moody also helped cofound the Jackson Bike Advocates in 2009, which sponsors community rides in the city. Together, the groups established the Jackson Community Bike Shop to give low-income residents access to bicycles, bike repairs and maintenance training.

Bike Walk Mississippi has "a top-down approach and a grassroots, bottom-up approach," Moody says. The top-down areas include public policy work, including establishing bike trails and multi-use bike paths as part of the national and statewide transportation strategy.

"We work with not only Congress, but with communities, talking about the return on investment," Moody says. "... Especially in states like Mississippi, when you look at economic development and increased health that can come immediately from investing in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, it's huge."

Biking and walking is part of a larger conversation to create a better quality of life and more livable communities in Mississippi, Moody says. She points to the Museum to Market trail slated to break ground in 2014 in Jackson, and the Tanglefoot Trail in north Mississippi that will open next month. The goal is to have the Jackson trail connect with other community trails in the surrounding metropolitan area, creating a regional trail system.

"It's a long process, but we feel like we're getting there," Moody says.

The biggest challenge for Bike Walk Mississippi at the moment is just keeping the doors open. The group won the National Advocacy Organization of the Year award from the Alliance for Biking and Walking this year. "[A]s local and national organizations continue to emphasize the connection between transportation and economic growth, perhaps they should take a cue from the fantastic advocates from Bike Walk Mississippi." Despite the honor, legislators often put the organization's work at "the bottom of the barrel" given the sluggish economy, Moody said.

"The reality is that we're looking at layoffs and lessening our impact in a big, big way," she said.

Tonight, Bike Walk Mississippi is holding a benefit to raise funds. The event is from 5 until 8 p.m. at Julep Restaurant and Bar (4500 Interstate 55 N., Frontage Road, 601-362-1411), featuring food and drink specials and music by T.D. Ledford. Though donations are not required to attend, those who do give a tax-deductible contribution will be rewarded, from a free draft beer for a $25 donation, to dinner for two for those who give $150 or more.

For more information, visit the Bike Walk Mississippi website or Facebook page, or the event page. You can also follow Bike Walk Mississippi in Twitter @bikewalkms.