Volunteer work: cause & effect

[Tuckervill]

My working life was pretty time consuming, 50 and 60 hour weeks were common, so by the time I took care of 2 kids, hubby, and house there was nothing left. One of my goals when I retired was to find something I could do as a volunteer to give back for all those years of just working. I had considered both MassHort and New England Wildflower Society, but then after I built my first bike and realized how empowering that was, and what a sense of accomplishment it gave me, I knew I wanted to do something with kids and cycling. For me Bikes-not-Bombs was the answer. I'm about to start my second session as an adult volunteer in the earn-a-bike program for 12 to 18 year old boys and girls from inner-city Boston. I get a tremendous kick out of it, seeing the kids doing something they didn't think they could do, playing ice-breaker games with them, having them ask me if it would be OK to call me "Miss Jean", going on rides with them, even nagging them to check their bike before riding. I feel like I'm helping the individual kids as well as the biking community. In addition to the earn-a-bike program I've been going in one night a week to help get bikes ready to ship to Central America or Africa to the international programs. Some will be turned into water-pumps, corn mills, or power blenders used to process other crops. Others become transportation for kids to go to school or people to get to jobs. This feels so good I think I ought to pay them for the privilege of doing it.

Can you tell me more about earn-a-bike? How do they earn it?

Thanks!
Karen

[Tuckervill]

I'm a bit of a "professional" volunteer. I have operated the local baseball league for the last 3 years. I hand out water at marathons and drive SAG or pick up trash at bike races. I have formed and administered homeschool support groups and cooperatives. I was a Campfire USA leader.

Yesterday I drove SAG for our racing team's training camp, and then ended up cooking some of the meal at the end of the day. (I couldn't ride those hills this early in the season, so I might as well help out.)

I'm in a transition period right now. My last year on the board of the baseball league (my son is aging out, and though it's not a requirement to have a child in the league, I'm just going to be focusing elsewhere). I'm hoping to play more of a role in the cycling club, which is new and growing, and which I'm more excited about than baseball.

I'm also transitioning to an empty nest and that might/probably mean a real job or career. I think that will cut down on the hours I have to volunteer, but I plan to do it forever.

Karen

[shootingstar]

newsmith --6,000 bikes, that's great! For apartment and condo buildings that have bike storage..it's amazing how much can pile up. I've lived in 2 such buildings and it can be a problem.

There are residents who don't use their bikes and if building managers/condo boards knew about the bike donation program, this would help them.

[Mr. Bloom]

I'm a big fan of community service. I tend to get involved with feeding/clothing/crisis shelter organizations.

I've found that in working with folks going through a tough time, while you're giving them help, what they really benefit from is someone to talk to and listen to them in a non-judgemental way. Human interaction is an amazing elixir for the pain of tough times.

[indysteel]

Right now, most of my volunteer hours are taken up by board work. I'm on my second year as a board member for a local chapter of the YMCA. That's been a learning experience for sure. I wish it were more "hand's on," but it involves fundraising more than anything else.

I'm also on the programming committee for my state's "economic club." I'm not really sure where that involvement is going; it's really not a very good fit for me, but a good friend asked me to get involved and it seemed like a good opportunity for me.

Each summer, I also lead a weekend ride for our cycling club that surprisingly takes a fair amount of time. Our club marks and SAGS all of its rides, so leading a ride involves a fair amount of work.

Until recently, I helped with a not-for-profit that provides low cost housing to the homeless. I stopped helping with them because, to be honest, I never felt very valued, although I do believe in what they do.

[mtbdarby]

I've been volunteering since I was in high school - I did every walk-a-thon, read-a-thon and bowl-a-thon they had. It made me feel good and I felt like what I did made a difference. I also started visiting older folks in an aparment building back then and discovered I like old folk!

I've also donated blood for the past 20+ years. Over the years I've delivered meals, made quilts for the needy, helped at various church groups as needed, taught at bike rodeos, and found a niche 8 years ago after I trained my 2 dogs as pet therapy dogs. We have been visiting nursing homes 2x a month for a long time and I enjoy sharing my love of dogs with the shut ins. It simply gives me pleasure to share the attention of my pet with others who no longer have there's.

I have found our passions in life can change. I try and marry my passion with a need in the community - that way we both win.

[Irulan]

Was a parent CO-OP volunteer for my kids preschool years, then a classroom/school volunteer for various education things until they hit high school

Ski Patrol volunteer, non-patrolling support since 1994.
I help with local cycle events, registration and other support
Founded an non-profit IMBA affiliated mountain biking club in 2005 and am still on the board. I do lots and lots of work on trail advocacy, access issues and open space issues.

[sundial]

I'm a big fan of community service. I tend to get involved with feeding/clothing/crisis shelter organizations.

I've found that in working with folks going through a tough time, while you're giving them help, what they really benefit from is someone to talk to and listen to them in a non-judgemental way. Human interaction is an amazing elixir for the pain of tough times.

I agree. Dad volunteers his time with a mobile disaster unit. Some of the stories he shares is quite moving. Mother spends time creating new doll clothes for dolls and teddy bears to be passed out to needy families.

I like to foster doggies and find good homes for them. It's amazing how you can reach out to so many people through a pet. I have visited the juvenile center with my dogs and so many of the kids could relate to my Niki who was abandoned and neglected as a pup. They really start opening up when they work with Niki.

[sundial]

I'm also transitioning to an empty nest and that might/probably mean a real job or career. I think that will cut down on the hours I have to volunteer, but I plan to do it forever.

Tuck, maybe you can develop cycling tours in your part of the state. If you start up supported chick rides, count me in.

[Tuckervill]

Hmm, maybe! I'd have to get to be a better rider, first!

Karen

[Eden]

Can you tell me more about earn-a-bike? How do they earn it?

Thanks!
Karen

There's a program around here like that too - a shop called Bike Works runs it. The kids earn a bike by coming in and learning to do maintenance. They earn a bike of their own by fixing other bikes. 24 hours of volunteer work, after the class, earns them a bike. The shop also sends bikes to Ghana. I almost gave them my old Trek, but it came up that a kids group home that was literally at the end of my street was looking for bikes for the kids, so I gave it to them instead.

[newfsmith]

How many bikes will your organization be shipping out overseas?.

Can you tell me more about earn-a-bike? How do they earn it?

Shootingstar, about 6,000 bikes a year are shipped oversees. They are all donated bikes, most are lower-end, but some are newish good bikes. MTBs are especially desireable for shipping. Close to another 1,000 bikes are used for the earn-a-bike program and reconditioned and sold in the bike shop. If the frames are damaged they are stripped and the parts are shipped overseas of the programs to use to repair bikes locally. If the parts are trash we try to send as much as possible to re-cycling programs, especially the aluminum.

Karen, the kids earn their bikes by coming after school 4 days a week for a 5 week class, where they learn bike safety and mechanics. They sign in and out of class. Those class and ride time hours count toward their bike but most of them choose a bike that requires some hours being spent as a volunteer, helping get bikes ready to ship. Disassembling bikes gives them more mechanical experience, and helping to load the shipping containers gives them a sense of giving to others that are in greater need than themselves. Many of the kids go on to the advanced EAB to build another bike, and qualify to be a youth instructor. Some will enroll in the vocational course to train as bike mechanics. Grads of that are hired by the local shops or work in the BNB shop where they recondition used bikes for sale and do repair work just as in any other shop. Here's a link http://www.bikesnotbombs.org/youth