Bikes Not Bombs Turns 30!

Written by Boston Biker on Jul 10

From Bikes Not Bombs:

 

Bikes Not Bombs turns 30!

Bikes Not Bombs celebrated 30 years of using the bicycle as a vehicle for social change on July 4th! In the three decades since our founder Carl Kurz first brought two bikes to Nicaragua we are thrilled to have shipped56,981 bikes to partners in 14 countries. And, since our first Earn-A-Bike session in 1990 we have reached more than 3,500 youth through five sessions per year – including our girls-only version, Girls in Action. And all of our programs are taught and led by youth alumni who we offer meaningful, year-round employment through ourYouth Employment Pathways program and our youth organizing initiative, BOCA.

Our 30th anniversary not only provides us an opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come, but also to look forward and plan for the future. This summer we are welcoming our largest number of youth instructors ever – together with our Earn-A-Bike participants we’ll have over 80 young people people filtering through the Hub each day! And Bikes Not Bombs not only strives to provide access to bikes and trainings, but also to transform communities — locally and globally. BNB youth are participating in an equity evaluation of the Boston Bike Plan in conjunction with the On The Move Coalition and our International Team are exploring new partnerships as our current partners grow and become more self-sufficient.

All of this work would be impossible without the caring community of volunteers and donors who have supported Bikes Not Bombs since 1984. Thank You! Stay tuned for details about our 30th anniversary party in early December!

Youth Programs: Enrollment open for Adult Instructor Training

Adult Instructors like Tom help out at Earn-A-Bike

Adult Instructor Training is a free 30-hour course taught by BNB Youth Employees that provides the foundation in basic bike mechanics, teaching methods, role modeling and leadership, and age and gender sensitivity that you need to successfully volunteer in BNB Youth Programs. In exchange for this free program, Adult Instructors are REQUIRED to volunteer a minimum of one program day per week from 3pm-7pm in at least one session of Earn-A-Bike or Girls In Action. Adult Instructor Trainings are held twice a year, in the Spring and Fall, and upcoming training dates are September 8th – 24thMonday – Wednesday, 6-9PM.

Applications are available online and for more information, contact Ashley Leary at [email protected] or617-522-0222 x 101.

Help BNB Load Bikes to Village Bicycle Project in Ghana on Sunday, August 10th!

Village Bicycle Project brings bicycles to the most rural areas of Ghana and Sierra Leone and organizes village-based workshops at which people can purchase bicycles at subsidized costs and receive training in basic bicycle maintenance. VBP also provides opportunities for local mechanics to purchase subsidized bicycle tools and receive training in advanced bicycle mechanics – building the repair infrastructure to sustain the bikes long-term. By partnering with rural communities, Village Bicycle Project creates opportunities for increased mobility, leading toward social and economic development.

Please join us to help BNB load bikes to Village Bicycle Project, Ghana!
Time: Sunday, August 10th from 10am – 5pm. Drop in for an hour or stay all day.
Place: The BNB Warehouse on 10 Harvard Street in Dorchester
Details: Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Volunteers of the Month – Jon Allen & Mel Quigley

Volunteers of the Month (and the last 28 years!) Jon and Mel finally get a break at the Bike-A-Thon, after working hard on all the setup.

Since we’ve just reached our 30th anniversary, it is fitting to recognize a pair of volunteers who have a long history helping out at BNB, Jon Allen and Melanie Quigley! Jon writes: “I was pedaling a brand new Columbia 3-speed along Commonwealth Avenue in the summer of 1986 when a Ford Probe sped into me. The bike was totaled, but I felt that some parts might be worth donating to this non-profit I’d just heard about that recycled bikes and parts. We went to the address on Amory Street and we were told of a container loading that weekend where our help would be appreciated. (At the old space the bikes came out of the basement and had to be walked half way around the block to get to the truck so there was a lot more walking and less lifting then), so Mel and I went, and have been returning quite regularly ever since.”

Jon and Mel have been to almost EVERY loading for overseas shipments since, so they’ve now attended more container loadings than anyone else in BNB’s history! When BNB had to move in 2006, Jon and Mel constructed and painted a lot of walls and structures, first at the Hub, then the shop, then the warehouse. And they’ve become key volunteers for Bike-A-Thon logistics each year as well. This year, for example, they were here repeatedly in the week leading up to the Bike-A-Thon to check all the parts for our big tents, measure and cut ropes, sort food for the different rest stops, and prepare the bike parking tags. They traveled to Newton to help chef Brian Sway prepare food. And on the day of the Bike-A-Thon they joined the setup crew doing tents, ropes, banners, and slides. Thank you Jon and Mel for 28 years of steadfast volunteering!

Building Momentum Breakfast Table Captain Information Session on July 21st

The 2013 Building Momentum Breakfast was attended by over 75 guests.

Save the date! Bikes Not Bombs’ fourth annual Building Momentum Breakfast will take place Wednesday, October 22nd at 8am at Space with a Soul, near Downtown Crossing. The Building Momentum Breakfast is designed to raise financial support for Bikes Not Bombs and spread the word about our innovative work using donated bicycles as a tool for self-empowerment and community transformation. Table Captains are critical to the success of this event.

Signing up as a Table Captain is a great way to increase your impact at Bikes Not Bombs. As a Table Captain you will be responsible for bringing nine people to the Building Momentum Breakfast – friends, family, and colleagues – who you think will connect with the mission and work of Bikes Not Bombs. The event will feature breakfast from our friends at Ula Cafe, inspiring stories from individuals who have been impacted by our work, a short video, and more. We’ll guide you through the process and provide you with all the information and materials you’ll need. While this is a fundraiser, there is no obligation for Table Captains or guests to donate at the event.

BNB will be holding an information session for anyone interested in becoming a Table Captain onMonday, July 21st from 6:30-7:30pm at the BNB Hub. Please RSVP to Erica Rotman, Director of Fundraising & Events, at [email protected], or contact her if you would like more information about becoming a Table Captain.

Read about last year’s Building Momentum Breakfast.

Boston’s Cycling Craze, 1880-1900: A Story of Race, Sport and Society

Wednesday July 16 6:00pm
Museum of African American History – 46 Joy Street Beacon Hill Boston
Interview | Audience Q&A | Reception | Booksigning
ADMISSION: General: $5; youth (13 – 17) and seniors (62+): $3

Don’t miss the Boston Globe’s Derrick Jackson, an avid cyclist, history buff, photographer, and award-winning Op-Ed columnist, as he interviews author Lorenz “Larry” Finison about his new book, “Boston’s Cycling Craze, 1880-1900: A Story of Race, Sport and Society.”

The author and the journalist will share how athletes and individuals of all backgrounds made Boston a hub of 19th-century bicycling. The story includes a woman of color, Kittie Knox, who challenged conformity due to self-styled outfits and insistence on riding a man’s bike; Mary Sargent Hopkins, a self-proclaimed expert on women’s cycling and publisher of The Wheelwoman; and Abbot Bassett, long affiliated with the League of American Wheelman and as a cycling advocate.

Finison’s book shows how these and other recreational and competitive bikers interacted on the road and in their cycling clubhouses, often constrained by issues of race, class, religion, and gender. Meet descendants of some of the early cyclists who will be in the audience. Bikes Not Bombs will co-host the program along with Discover Roxbury, Roxbury Bicycle Brigade, and UMass Press.

July Free Clinics at the Shop

This July our Basic Repair and Maintenance Clinic will be on Wednesday the 16th from 8-9pm . Our Flat Fixing Clinic will be on Thursday July 24th from 8-9pm. As always there is no need to sign up, but please be punctual and show up by 8pm!



 




News Outside of BNB:

 


Women’s Bike Social

Join Boston Bikes on July 10th, 5:30 pm for a Boston Tasting Tour! The group will ride and eat their way through the South End and Back Bay before grabbing dessert in the North End.
 


Bike Friday

Join the best Boston commuters at a commuting celebration! Free breakfast and coffee from Boloco at City Hall Plaza. Stop by the Bikes Not Bombs tent to say hi! Hosted by Boston Bikes July 18th 7-9am.
 


Boston Remembers Hiroshima: Moving from Violence to Unity

Boston Remembers Hiroshima: Join Mass Peace Action, Dorchester People for Peace and others including Bikes Not Bombs, in this event connecting neighborhoods of Boston to City Hall. First Church Boston, 66 Marlborough St, August 6, 3pm, procession through Common to City Hall Plaza. Taiko drumming, Japanese “Soran Bushi” dancers, singing, speakers, action.


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