Trailnet Champion: Chris Geden

In each of our monthly newsletters, Trailnet features a member of our community who is working toward Trailnet’s vision of Streets for All. In June 2024, we featured Chris Geden.

Chris Geden is the Thrive Outside Program Manager for River City Outdoors and the Director of Community Engagement for the River City Foundation.

“Trailnet’s mission of making the St. Louis region a better place to walk, bike and take public transit goes hand in hand with our mission to make the St. Louis outdoors a more equitable and inclusive place for all,” said Chris. “Two of the biggest barriers to enjoying the outdoors in our region are access and transportation. Both Trailnet and RCO are working to remove those barriers and make the St. Louis outdoors safe and welcoming for everyone, as well as working to educate our residents on why this is vital to our community and economy.”

As well as having overlapping missions and values with Trailnet, River City Outdoors is the presenting sponsor of our Juneteenth Community Ride for the second year in a row.

“People protect what they love,” said Chris. “The Juneteenth Community Ride drives that saying home in a number of ways. It reminds us of the beauty, history and resilience represented in St. Louis’ Black culture. It also shows Black people out enjoying the outdoors together, which is the sense of community that we should all strive for. It reminds us why we should protect cyclists and pedestrians on our roadways, because there’s no better way to see a city than by foot or bike. And it reminds us how to look back in a way that helps us move forward.”