Thanks for your interest in Saving Icarus! Here are some questions people often ask and the answers we give.
Are donations to Saving Icarus tax deductible?
Yes. Saving Icarus is a registered 501(c)3 charitable organization and contributions qualify as a federal income tax deduction. Visit our donation page on PayPal.
How does the program work?
We provide inspirational stories of how other people have overcome hardship and then apply those coping skills to adventures as a metaphor for overcoming life’s adversities. The newly learned life lessons will be reinforced through journaling and explored in small group discussion. We also provide bike repair / maintenance classes where youth will have an opportunity to learn to build a bike from scratch.
Do participants have to have their own bicycles?
No. We provide bicycles, most of them gently used and either purchased or donated. We make sure all of the bicycles are in safe, working condition before they are used.
Who was Icarus?
Icarus is a character from Greek mythology. His father, Daedalus, was a brilliant engineer who designed the great Labyrinth on the Island of Crete. Daedalus fell into disfavor with King Minos, who imprisoned both Daedalus and Icarus in a tower. To escape, Daedalus built wings made of bird feathers and held together with wax. According to the story, the wings worked, but Icarus flew too high. The sun’s heat melted the wax, destroying the wings, and Icarus plunged to his death in the sea. According to an article in the Greek Reporter, the myth warns against the needless search for instant gratification, “underlying the idea of sophrosyne, a term that stands for healthy-mindedness, implying self-control guided by knowledge and balance.”
Saving Icarus 