Last Night's Volunteer Experience (Bike Related)!

[SalsaMTB]

Recently I found out about a volunteer group in my community. The group called Back Alley Bikes and is located in a low income area of Detroit and spends their time running a free bicycle repair and recycle center. They open their doors to people in the community to educated them on bicycle repair. They even have a repair to own program where people are welcome to spend time learning to repair bikes and do tasks around the shop and eventually earn a bike of their own.

DH and I spent last night at the shop because they had posted on our local MTB board that they needed volunteers. This was the first that I had heard of them. They have around 100 used children's bikes that needed repairing so they can give them away to children in need for the holiday. It was such an great experience. I'm not the best at wrenching, my husband is very experienced, but I was able to pump up some tires and other small tasks. The thought of giving these bikes away to children who have no other opportunity to own a bicycle is amazing. I met the man who started the shop. He was an interesting person to talk to and his passion for the cause radiated from him.

It's experiences like these that help to remind you the spirit of the holiday season. It was nice to find a seed of hope in a city you hear nothing but bad press about. I know now there will be a few children in the city who will have a happy holiday because of the work done by these people. Last year, my husband and I wanted to do some volunteer work for the holiday so we contacted the big soup kitchens in the city. They were all booked up because everyone wants to help for the holiday and we gave up. This opportunity fell into our laps this year, but now I know that it's worth the effort to try and find a smaller group that needs just as much help, if not more, than the larger groups.

[wavedancer]

Good for you, Salsa! What a great way to give back to the community through something you love and can share. It really does bring the holiday spirit home, doesn't it!

[massbikebabe]

Salsa;

THANK-YOU! I have worked for many years in a poor health center so I know exactly how much your work is appreciated. I am turning my tierra over to you, but you will have to fight me for the purple cape!!


karen

[Lise]

Thanks for telling us about it! That sounds so cool. Something you can do that passes on what you love to someone else. There's a shop here in Chicago (Urban Bikes) that does something similar with a summer workshop for kids on how to build their own bike out of parts, repair/maintain it, and they end up with a skill + a bike. I wonder if they do anything like what you're talking about at Urban Bikes...I'm going to look into it.

Have a happy holiday time! Lise

[DirtDiva]

Very cool indeed.