Press and Media

On The Table 2017: Transportation Equity, Goat Stew, and A Video

On Tuesday, May 16, Working Bikes hosted our second On the Table dinner. On The Table is an event sponsored by Chicago Community Trust, in which thousands of Chicago area residents pull up a chair at gatherings around the city to discuss the future of our communities while sharing a meal together. Working Bikes used this opportunity to bring together those of the bicycle community, organization supporters and partners, and friends.

Working Bikes was proud to host 45 dinner guests to discuss transportation equity and the role of bicycles as tools of empowerment. Partner organizations such as Esperanza Community Health Center, The Resurrection Project, Saint Sabina Employment Resource Center, Vaughn Occupational School, Bikes for Lesotho and Friends of the Major Taylor Trail sent representatives to discuss our shared interests, assets, and struggles. Guests enjoyed Birria and vegetarian mole from Birrieria Zaragoza while pondering how we can use our partnerships to truly “Act up” in the name of peace, justice, and bike grease

It is inspiring to be able to collaborate with so many organizations in our city that do not traditionally utilize bicycles, but that wholeheartedly pursue the opportunity to share the love of two wheels with their clients and constituents. As we continue rescuing, recycling, refurbishing, and redistributing bicycles, everyone at Working Bikes is thankful for the opportunity to reflect and break bread with each other.

On the heels of On The Table is the Acting Up Awards, an intentionally small grant for projects or programming for OTT hosts to utilize as a grassroots approach to improve their community. Our proposal focuses on putting together follow-up events for our local donation programs, Cycle of Power and Cycle of Peace. Watch and like our video proposal on YouTube!

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News

Working Bikes Visits Mexico City for World Bike Forum

In April, Working Bikes staff members Cesar Meza, Brian Vargas, and veteran volunteer Waymond Smith attended the 6th Annual World Bike Forum in Mexico City, also known as Foro Mundial De La Bicicleta 6. Brian has shared a few words from his experience:

First and foremost, a huge thank you to all of the Working Bikes staff and volunteers whose hard work and dedication allow us to extend a helping hand to our friends abroad and here at home.

Foro Mundial De La Bicicleta 6 was a fantastic event that provided a place for pedestrians, motorists and cyclists alike to share ideas about cycling culture and its future around the world. We were fortunate to hear from so many great speakers about how we as people have a right & responsibility to reclaim the streets instead of investing more money into infrastructure for cars that in turn pollute our air.

It was truly heartwarming to learn about the impact bicycles had in countries dealing with harsh traffic and rough roads, leading them into a future with cleaner air, safer car and bike lanes, and healthier, more active people. A bicycle is a true tool of empowerment that brings its user nearly endless possibilities from simply getting to work to powering a concert with a few other people. It was a true honor to ride alongside hundreds of cyclists while riding on a twelve-person bike, courtesy of our friends at Bicicom from around the world, through the beautiful streets of Mexico City.

Cycling is changing the world in a very positive way, more and more organizations are now working to provide cyclists with free or low cost assistance in case of emergencies and even mechanical assistance. As programs like these continue to grow and expand, being a cyclist will definitely get easier and better.

– Brian Vargas

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News

Evanston Bicycle Club Awards $3,000 Grant to Working Bikes

Working Bikes successfully applied for a grant from the Evanston Bicycle Club (EBC). As stated in our grant application to EBC, Working Bikes will use these funds to help enhance our local donation program to get bikes in the hands of children, refugees, veterans, the homeless and others who need bikes in the Chicago area for healthy transportation.

Funds from the North Shore Century enable the EBC to provide grants and donations to not-for-profit organizations for biking-related programs and activities. Roughly 80% of the net proceeds of the 2017 North Shore Century will benefit similar organizations and programs.

We are very grateful for EBC’s support and strongly encourage cyclists to register for the 33rd Annual North Shore Century held on Sunday September 17, 2017 on their website.

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Events

WTF! Night Presents Breaking the Cycle of Street Harassment

Note that this event is for women, trans, femme, and gender non-conforming folks.

Working Bikes’ WTF! Night* Presents: Breaking the Cycle of Street Harassment (flyer can be found here), a screening of the Ovarian Psycos documentary and a discussion on harassment in public spaces.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcCfTK5KZVo

The Ovarian Psycos is a bike group based in Los Angeles run by women of color whose mission is to use cycling as a way to heal physically, mentally, and spiritually by addressing issues in their community.

After the screening, there will be a discussion on people’s personal experiences with street harassment and ways the public can be better educated on the problem. Please note not everyone is required to contribute to the conversation. This is a safe space where everyone’s comfort level is respected.

This is a free event, but donations are suggested with all the proceeds going directly to support La Conxa, a community space run by the Ovarian Psycos.

*WTF! is a weekly volunteer night held at Working Bikes every Thursday from 5-9 p.m. for womxn, trans, femme, and gender non-conforming folk, offering them a space to learn how to fix bikes without judgement.

This event is a part of International Anti-Street Harassment Week.

For more information, please contact [email protected] or [email protected].

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News

New staff updates in the new year

Working Bikes is always excited to see our staff members grow within their roles and take on new challenges. We are pleased to announce the following promotions, effective January 1, 2017. Please join us in wishing them well in their new positions!

Service & Retail Manager

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Cesar Meza-Duron has assumed the role of managing our service department and retail operations. He initially came to Working Bikes as a Curie High School volunteer and went on to participate in our first ONE Summer Chicago program before being hired as service department staff in 2014. When not at Working Bikes, Cesar can be found in class at Chicago City Colleges or racing with the West Town Bikes Cyclocross program.

Warehouse Manager

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BK Elmore was first employed by Working Bikes as an instructor for our 2013 summer program with Growing Power at Iron Street Farm in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood. Since that time, BK has worked as volunteer coordinator, mechanic, driver, and even composer of the Working Bikes’ anthem callers hear when on hold. His new position as warehouse manager gives him responsibility for the overall organization of the warehouse including the movement of bikes within the warehouse, prepping/staging of bikes for container shipments, and bike pick-ups.

Volunteer Shop Manager

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Maja Perez is charged with managing and developing all programming in Working Bikes’ volunteer space, Brandon’s Bike Shop. A native of Bakersfield, California, Maja worked for Bike Bakersfield Bike Co-Op before moving to Chicago. She has taught an After School Matters program with West Town Bikes and served as volunteer coordinator with Working Bikes. Maja is a League of American Bicyclists Certified Instructor and the founder of Working Bikes’ Thursday WTF! Night, a volunteer session exclusively for women, transgendered, femme, and gender non-conforming people.

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Archive

Bikes for Lesotho is a labor of love

In 2012, I was troubled when learning that the estimated number of orphans in the Kingdom of Lesotho had reached 100,000.  I was a Peace Corps volunteer there from 1989 to 1992 and returned a couple times since then, seeing the growth of HIV/AIDS to the extent that it now afflicts an estimated 30% of the adult population.  What I also saw was the incredible resilience of children in Lesotho, experiencing joy and enthusiasm in the midst of poverty and hardship.  I wanted to do something to help those orphaned kids to experience fun.  The answer came to me in the middle of the night–BIKES!

I realized that I’d never seen even one bike in Lesotho.  Being a lifelong cyclist, I’m embarrassed to admit that this took so long to strike me.  I searched online for “bikes” and “Lesotho,” discovering that the Mike’s Bikes Africa Foundation in California had just sent a few dozen bikes to an entrepreneur by the name of Mr. Tumi Taabe. He started a bike shop near the capital city of Maseru.  I contacted Mike’s Bikes and asked how I might help.

Sponsoring a shipment of 500 kids bikes out of San Francisco would cost $20,000.  (Our model of giving away small bikes to the poorest of kids is unusual since other charities only provide adult bikes for sale.)  I convinced my friend Jeff Teppema into helping to raise this amount, and Bikes for Lesotho was born!

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To inspire contributions, we announced that we would ride our bikes around the southern half of the Kingdom, one to two miles in altitude through the mountains.  Our trip was successful, generating a lot of media attention both at home and in Lesotho. We were able to raise the $20,000.

Since Jeff and I started Bikes for Lesotho, Tumi has become our close friend.  He is frequently featured on television, radio, and in newspapers and his bike sales are going strong.  The bikes we provide also support a network of men and women that do incredible work mentoring kids, hosting races, and teaching mechanics.  Tumi has also recently been coordinating with two other start-up bike shops.

The biking culture is growing quickly in Lesotho.  Community races are held monthly, the Lesotho Sky cycling races are an international draw, and the Lesotho Sufferfest cycling team competes internationally. Furthermore, men and women are gaining income as bike mechanics. People are also saving money by forgoing a bus or taxi and want bikes for recreational use.

Fast-forwarding to now, Bikes for Lesotho now works with Working Bikes. We’ve sent six containers totaling 3,500 bikes.  Costs have come down greatly and the sponsorship amount of just $25 per bike covers all costs: shipping, repairs in Lesotho, and distribution to kids.  This has become a labor of love for all involved.  Jeff and I are volunteers (a music teacher and a civil engineer), and we have no overhead.  Sponsoring our bikes is among the most affordable, direct and simplest ways to immensely improve a child’s life.  In 2017, we anticipate two shipments totaling 1,000 bikes, as we did in 2016.

We are very fortunate to have the assistance of so many to make this wonderful project possible.

This post was written by Dave Gorman, an assistant director of public works for the village of Lombard, IL and co-founder of Bikes for Lesotho. For more information on Bikes for Lesotho, please visit their Facebook page.

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Archive

Making a global impact with Working Bikes

We are members of our school’s Model United Nations, an international debate team, where we recently we won first place at the Naples Council on World Affairs for detailing a plan regarding the Syrian refugee crisis: purchasing and shipping bicycles to a refugee camp in Jordan currently housing over thirty thousand people. The plan would enable them to access school and provide an affordable and efficient method of transportation.

While born theoretical, the three of us–Daniela, Javier, and Stefania–decided to manifest this as close to reality as possible.

To launch our program, we are focused heavily on fundraising, such as organizing a walk/bike-a-thon in Cape Coral, Florida to collect donations to allocate towards a non-profit that would pay and ship bicycles to refugee camps. However, we ran into a problem.

While our original plan was dedicated towards Syrian refugees and their relief, we found that no organization was able to ship equipment to Middle Eastern nations. This was due to the fact that bike repair shops had to be built and the region was too insecure to send volunteers to fulfill positions as needed.

Currently, we are in partnership with Working Bikes, who is transforming our 20-page outline for a make-believe competition into a stroke of pure humanity in reality.

We are overwhelmingly passionate for the well-being and security of those experiencing barriers in their lives, particularly children who one day could grow-up to reconstruct their home country (an idea made possible with the transport access to education).

Hours upon hours have been devoted towards researching the lives, values, troubles, and weight carried on the global community. We have inspired forty committed International Baccalaureate (IB) students to collect donations for our cause.

The main event of the project is our Make a Difference Bike/Walk-a-thon scheduled for December 10th at Cape Coral High School. The date of our event will sit on one of the founders’ birthday, and as painfully cliche it is, she adores the fact that the celebration of her service project shares her turn into adulthood.

Our goal is to raise $2,000 to directly donate to Working Bikes. We have gained support from various local businesses and the Naples Council on World Affairs, which facilitated the original Model UN Syrian Refugee competition.

This project is an invaluable, incredible, and humbling opportunity to leave a small, but significant impact on those being delayed of their human rights. We await the success of empathy to come. We await another victory for kindness.

This post was written by Cape Coral High School students Daniela Barata, Javier Diaz, and Stefania Lugli.

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Archive

What we learn: youth and Ujamaa

During one of Working Bikes’ volunteer sessions, I witnessed the collaborative work the young people of Englewood’s Ujamaa Community Land Trust completed with our ONE Summer Chicago youth. This gave me pause. The bicycles they worked on were discarded, and here they were being transformed with some lubricant, some education, and a lot of elbow grease.

Ujamaa, known as the fourth principle of Kwanzaa, speaks to Cooperative Economics. It is sometimes translated “I am because we are” and goes well with Ujima, which represents the third principle of Kwanzaa of Collective Work and Responsibilities.

On October 20th, Working Bikes brought our bicycle education to the BRAVE youth leaders of Saint Sabina in Auburn-Gresham. It was a follow up to our Cycle of Power event on Labor Day weekend and a great reason to bring our fix-a-flat workshop to the far South side of Chicago.

Currently, many of the teens and young people who come to our warehouse in the Heart of Chicago come from North and South Lawndale, Brighton Park, Gage Park, and Pilsen. Our hope is that by continuing to reach past the borders and boundaries which divide our city, we can continue to find the next generation of bicycle mechanics, organizers, peacemakers, and engineers.

It may sound a stretch to believe that a fix-a-flat can do all that, but I like to think we’re all teaching each other about more than bikes, but also about strength and sustainability.

Sometimes, we as cyclists on the South and West sides feel like the infrastructure arrives too slowly, or not in the way we would prefer. There is not equity in budgeting and development can feel less than transparent.

It is in passing our knowledge to the youth and in preparing them for opportunities that may arise in the future that we really work for substantial change. It is the youth who will repurpose the bicycles, and more, in the future.

This post was written by Paul Fitzgerald, general manager of Working Bikes.

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