News

Bon Voyage Patrick!: Bike Mechanics’ Journey to Africa

Working Bikes is sending one of our staff mechanics train Ugandan women in bicycle mechanics. This is the first time we’ve sent something other than bikes overseas!

This is also a chance for us to get a better understanding of what happens to the bikes once we’ve sent them. We were given this opportunity from one of our amazing international partners, A&K Philanthropy (AKP).

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News

Reflections On Bike!Bike! 2017

A tour of Winnipeg by bike. Photo courtesy of Trevor Clarke

 

A small group of Working Bikes compatriots attended Bike!Bike! 2017 in Winnipeg, Canada August 24th through 27th. The fourteen-hour drive did not deter the enthusiasm to explore the city and connect with like-minded bike enthusiasts and leaders.

The annual conference brings together bicycle advocates, particularly involved in community bike shops, to exchange ideas to improve their respective organizations and communities. Workshops are requested and led by conference attendees.

 

Stopping before crossing a major street during Bike Jame. Slow Roll’s Oboi holding the bike in Chicago fashion. Photo courtesy of Maja Perez.

Slow Roll Chicago, an organization we have partnered with this summer, presented a workshop entitled “Organizing Community Bicycle Rides as Vehicles for Social Justice & Equity.” Slow Roll Chicago’s co-founder Olatunji Oboi Reed led the discussion that brought up bikes as a means to transform communities and improve lives, which correlate to addressing bicycle equity and social justice. Uniting community members and raising awareness of these issues can be done by organizing neighborhood rides.

Slow Roll Chicago’s co-founder Olatunji Oboi Reed presented a workshop entitled “Organizing Community Bicycle Rides as Vehicles for Social Justice & Equity.” The discussion brings up bikes as a means to transform communities and improve lives, which correlate to addressing bicycle equity and social justice. Uniting community members and raising awareness of these issues can be done by organizing neighborhood rides.

 

Meet Me at the Bell Tower ride through the North End neighborhood. Photo courtesy of Trevor Clarke.

 

One such ride in Winnipeg is Meet Me at the Bell Tower. Bike!Bike! attendees were invited to join the weekly ride, leaving many transformed and humbled. Co-founded by Michael Redhead Champagne, Meet Me at the Bell Tower is intended to bring the largely indigenous neighborhood of North End together, despite hardships of suicide and drug use that are all too common in this community.

 

Michael Redhead Champagne speaking to the crowd before the weekly neighborhood ride. Photo courtesy of Maja Perez.

 

The ride began with Michael speaking to the crowd, megaphone in hand, while a community member passed a tray of smoking sage to cleanse participants. A banner spelling “HOPE” is hung on the bell tower and bikes rolled out to the street. The group snaked through the neighborhood, ringing bells and waving at the curious onlookers sitting on their porches and peeking through their windows. We circled back to the bell tower and were invited to break bread in the community center across the street. Meet Me at the Bell Tower was an experience we will forever cherish.

 

Post-ride meal and a fun raffle at North End’s community center. Photo courtesy of Trevor Clarke.

 

Bike!Bike! 2017 proved to be a great event that brought together familiar faces, colleagues, and new friends. The workshops, rides, and connections that Working Bikes were exposed to over the weekend was an invaluable experience and we cannot wait for Bike!Bike! 2018 in Los Angeles. Our very own Brian Vargas and Chicago bike ally Robert Grossman have plans for hosting B!B! in Chicago within the next few years.

 

Tired from the long ride, but all smiles with the Chicago B!B! crew. Photo courtesy of Trevor Clarke.
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Events

Working Bikes 18th Anniversary Fundraiser

We’re another year older and thankful to still be here to help the community after 18 years. Please join us for our annual fundraiser as we celebrate the work we’ve done, honor our wonderful donors, and make new friends! Join us Monday, November 6th from 5:30p to 8:30p at Lagunitas Tap Room in Pilsen.

We’re dedicated to recycling previously owned bikes and using them as a vehicle for empowerment in global and local communities. Since 1999, we’ve donated over 50,000 bikes to people in Africa, Latin America, and Chicago. The bikes we provide can be life-changing for those who need it the most by improving their mobility and access to education, employment, healthcare, and other basic necessities.

Admission is $35, which includes food and entertainment. There’ll be a silent auction and drawing. Tickets can be purchased here.

Drinks will be sold for $5 each at Lagunitas Taproom. You must be 21 or older to attend.

100% of the proceeds from the event will go towards supporting Working Bikes global and local donation programs. Sponsorship information can be found here. 

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News

Andrew Bermudez on ASM Summer 2017

Volunteer Coordinator Andrew Bermudez instructed our first After School Matters program during the summer. With the pilot program’s success Working Bikes intends to apply for the fall term. Andrew writes and shares his experience in ASM.

Working Bikes received funding by After School Matters to recruit 14 teenagers for a six-week paid apprenticeship. Our program’s objectives were to generate excitement about bicycles by learning how to salvage, repair, and navigate our city with them. Students helped unload and efficiently organize secondhand bikes. They received demonstrations on how to use tools and lubricants to restore bikes for donation to local charities. The students removed functioning equipment from damaged frames for shipment to international relief organizations. Finally, they studied urban cycling rules and applied this knowledge during group rides.

ASM participants work together to fix a bike. Photo courtesy of Andrew Bermudez

The checklist used by volunteers to repair bikes was expanded into a curriculum. Before lessons the students were divided into pairs. They observed while I demonstrated the steps required to restore a bicycle. The students had two days to practice each step before I introduced new information. While the students worked, I circulated around the shop to answer questions and help. The lessons were supplemented by handouts that displayed the names of tools and bike anatomy. The participants were expected to keep orderly work benches and to clean up after themselves.

One challenge is that the condition of the bicycles we repair varies. Some are damaged, clean, dirty, or missing parts. This made instructing difficult, because the students all encounter slightly different problems. Therefore the amount of time I spend with each student was inconsistent.

In preparation for riding as a group, each student was assigned a page from the Safe Cycling in Chicago guidebook. They delivered short presentations covering Illinois Bike Laws, types of lanes, and locking technique. The participants were provided helmets which they learned how to properly fit and adjust. On our quiet side-street, they practiced weaving through cones to simulate debris in the road and learned to signal turns with their arms. Together we road to the Eleanor Boathouse in Bridgeport, iconic murals in Pilsen, the Garfield Park Conservatory, and Northerly Island. Mikela Pinkney co-lead these trips.

Posing for a quick picture during a ride. Photo courtesy of Andrew Bermudez

A highlight was watching a student quickly change a flat tire during a group bicycle ride. Our group had visited the Garfield Park Conservatory and was riding back to Working Bikes. After turning from Lake Street onto California Avenue the students began yelling to stop. Tyreese had a flat tire. This could have been caused by glass or other sharp debris. The group pulled over on the sidewalk. Several of Tyreese’s peers offered to help. They steadied the bike and helped him remember the mechanical steps. In twenty minutes we were back on the road! It was fulfilling to watch Tyreese apply what he learned at the shop and receive support.

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Press and Media

Dave Gorman on Bikes for Lesotho

Working Bikes is building a new cycling culture in southern Africa with Bikes for Lesotho (B4L). According to B4L founder Dave Gorman, “I had been a Peace Corps Volunteer in Lesotho 25 years ago and had returned twice since then. In all that time, I had never seen even one bike! Combined with that, I’d read in 2012 that the estimated number of orphans largely due to the HIV/AIDS crisis had reached 100,000. That’s when I resolved to send bikes to those kids simply for the purpose of giving them some joy.” To date, B4L has sent 4,500 bikes, 4,000 of which were from Working Bikes.

Dave recently spent two weeks in Lesotho and saw many bikes in and around the capital city of Maseru. “It’s a powerful feeling to know that most of the bikes are from the Working Bikes warehouse, that we’d collected and loaded those very bikes.” For every $20 contribution to the project, a sticker with the Working Bikes logo is placed on an orphan’s bike stating “this bike from Chicago comes with love from Working Bikes & (donor’s name)”. This has reinforced the very tangible connection of the program.

Photo courtesy of Bikes for Lesotho

During his trip, Dave helped his project partner, Tumi, to deliver bikes to orphans at schools and orphanages. Dave also witnessed the daily coming and going of customers at Tumi’s Bike Shop. “Tumi has successfully mixed charitable giving into his business. As a result of his providing free bikes to orphans, he has become famous throughout the Kingdom, which has helped his shop to prosper.”

B4L is working on a new plan to encourage more entrepreneurs like Tumi to establish the first shops in towns in the rest of the country, where bikes are currently rarely seen. In fact, Dave met with King Letsie III, Prince Seeiso, the Peace Corps-Lesotho Director and others to solicit their input and assistance. Bikes are transforming the country and Working Bikes is excited about furthering the special connection between Chicago and Lesotho. More information is at https://www.facebook.com/BikesForLesotho/.

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News

Esperanza Health Centers 2017 Summer Collaboration Series

Photo credit: Rhonda Bausley

Working Bikes is constantly looking for more ways to connect with likeminded, neighboring organizations to further the goal of recycling bicycles and giving them to those in need. Esperanza Health Centers, with locations in South Lawndale, Little Village, and Chicago Lawn, is one such organization. On top of our established Prescription To Ride partnership, in which we provide Esperanza clients bicycles for health and overall wellness, we have established a series of events this summer. Our apprentices in the One Summer Chicago program are repairing bicycles to provide to three of Esperanza’s health groups within the community.

We kicked off the series with participants of Esperanza’s Little Village Breastfeeding Group on June 29th at the outdoor pavilion of the fairly new La Villita Park. After the adults and children of the group excitedly picked out bicycles, Working Bikes general manager, Paul Fitzgerald, discussed bike safety.  We ended the day with a group ride around the park’s soccer field.

 

Photo credit: Rhonda Bausley

On the morning of July 8th our apprentices were back at La Villita Park, presenting 10 bikes, locks, and helmets to participants of the “Be Me, Be Healthy” program. The program is geared toward teenage girls and assists with self esteem and relationships. The girls listened to our One Summer apprentices explain how to check their bike for safety as well as how to figure out how to choose the right bike. And once bicycles were picked out, we once again took a leisure group ride.  

 

Photo credit: Rhonda Bausley

We will finish the summer series with Esperanza’s Girls on the Run group on July 27th. The group focuses on self-esteem and health as the girls train for a 5k race. This certainly won’t be the last collaboration with Esperanza Health Center; stay tuned for more.  

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News

Working Bikes Recognized For Local Donation Efforts

In our effort to redistribute bikes and assist in transportation equity, Working Bikes provides bicycles globally and locally. Our local donation program is aptly named the Cycle of Power along with a kids’ component called Cycle of Peace. In these programs, bicycles are donated to referred individuals as well as large groups through partnering organizations, typically in a form of an event.

We were able to help one such group in partnership with Rose Mabwa, Senior Manager at The Community Builders – Oakley Square division. On June 10, Working Bikes provided 30 adult and kids bikes to residents in East Garfield Park. To our surprise Rose presented Working Bikes with a plaque in appreciation of providing donations and supporting the community.

Less than a week later our programs were again acknowledged. During the annual Bike to Work Rally at Daley Plaza on June 16th, Working Bikes graciously accepted the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Council (MBAC) Award from the Chicago Department of Transportation for giving 1,000 bikes to children in Bronzeville in North Lawndale, giveaways that were partnered with Angela Ford of the TAG Foundation. The award is given to organizations that have helped improve cycling in Chicago which is what we strive for in our Cycle of Power and Cycle of Peace programs.

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News

Inclusion Through Expanding Partnerships

Working Bikes has expanded programming for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The following is a description of Vaughn Occupational High School’s experience at Working Bikes written by Amanda Neuman, their teacher and chaperone:

“Vaughn has been collaborating with Working Bikes for two years on a biweekly basis. The collaboration has created invaluable experiences for the students and Working Bikes. While at Working Bikes, students are exposed to authentic vocational and volunteer experiences where they can learn skills necessary for team-work, basic bike maintenance, and the importance of giving back to the community- all while lending a helping hand to the organization. Aside from the skills learned it helps build the student’s confidence and motivation for post-secondary goals. Working Bikes has opened their arms to the young adults at Vaughn Occupational School and the results have been incredible. It is a relationship we hope to keep for many years to come.

Photo credit: Amanda Neuman

“Vaughn Occupational High School serves students with mild-moderate intellectual disabilities, autism, social and emotional needs, and physical disabilities. Vaughn’s mission is to teach its students individualized, functional academics, emphasizing occupational development and independence. A focus on social and emotional growth is a key part of Vaughn’s philosophy. Vaughn is one of the a few schools recognized for its excellence in providing integrated programs that include students and adults with non-disabled peers from other schools and within the community. Students are also integrated through strong community and business partnerships.”

The Vaughn students have learned how to operate a bike stand, grease stems, and prep bikes for shipment. They help clean bikes and inflate tires. Working Bikes volunteer Paul Konkoly co-instructed this year’s program, sharing his enthusiasm and knowledge with the students and occasionally bakes treats to share with everyone. Working Bikes would like to thank Paul Konkoly for assisting and sometimes leading the Vaughn School group, recognize Volunteer Coordinator Andrew Bermudez for his patience and excellent instruction, and wish the Vaughn School students and staff a wonderful summer.

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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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