When Jewish Family Community Services / East Bay (JFCS) put out an urgent appeal for bicycles, TVNPA member organization Kids Bike Lane (KBL) rode to the rescue.
JFCS helps newly arrived refugees resettle into the Bay Area. JFCS connects the refugees to social services and provides them with a variety of household items, including bicycles to enable the adults to get to and from work, and the children to get to and from school.
JFCS recently helped resettle a group of Afghan refugees, but had no bicycles available. A JFCS volunteer and friend of KBL Board Member Jerry Schweikert learned of the bicycle crunch and connected the two organizations. KBL came through with 18 refurbished two-wheelers.
"It is really important to empower people with movement," says Kathryn Winogura, JFCS Volunteer Services Manager. "We are extremely grateful to Kids Bike Lane for giving our clients the ability to move forward and become contributors to our society."
Established in 2016, KBL provides new bikes to low-income children, and provides refurbished bikes to low-income children and adults. KBL purchases the new bikes directly from a manufacturer, and local bike shops and private owners donate the used bikes. Volunteer KBL bike mechanics fix the used bikes to make them safe and road ready. KBL distributes the bikes through a network of charities and community groups, and also offers free bicycle repair clinics. KBL obtains funding from corporations, foundations, churches, Rotary clubs, and private donors.
On the first Saturday of each December, KBL shifts into high gear for the annual Big Bike Build (BBB). Held at the Alameda County Fairgrounds, the BBB is an all-day event, staffed entirely by volunteers, to assemble new bikes for the holiday season. The inaugural BBB, held in 2016, produced 300 bikes. The 2017 build more than doubled the output, as over 250 volunteers collaborated to assemble 615 bikes that 22 charities distributed. KBL hopes to increase the output to 700 in 2018.
"For the 2017 Big Bike Build, we received 230 requests for bikes that we couldn't fill," notes KBL Board Member Don Griggs. "We hope to narrow the gap in 2018."
KBL also organizes Corporate Bike Builds with local employers. For each Corporate Bike Build, KBL provides unassembled new bikes, assembly tools, and volunteers to supervise the assembly process and perform quality control. The employer supplies the assembly site and workforce, and covers the cost of the bikes. "This is a great way for corporations to give back to the community, contribute to the health and happiness of under-served children, and experience a fun, team building activity for the employees," says Don Griggs.
"KBL impacts people's lives in many ways," adds Don. "A youngster with a bike can get to school by themselves and on time. An adult can get to work. A parent and child can ride together on bikes repaired at a KBL clinic."
"When a youngster receives a bike at a holiday party, sponsored by one of the charities we support, and we see the smiles on children's faces, we know that we are making a difference."
"TVNPA member organizations help those in need in so many different ways," says TVNPA President and Co-Founder TVNPA Kathy Young. "Kids Bike Lane fills a very important role in helping people build independent, sustainable lives, which is core to the TVNPA mission."
For more information about Kids Bike Lane visit kidsbikelane.org