Bikes Not Bombs Mega Roundup
Written by Boston Biker on Apr 06BNB is an amazing program, below is a giant roundup of what they are up to. They do so many things that I have decided to put it all into one uber post instead of flood the site with the ten posts I want to write about them.
Check it out!
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Bikes Not Bombs Releases First Ever Annual Report 
It is a pleasure to share Bikes Not Bombs’ first ever Annual Report with you. We hope you enjoy it! In this report, you’ll get a snapshot of the programs we run and what we’ve been up to this past year. You’ll also see a financial summary and a list of our staff, board, key contributors, and partners. 2011 was an extremely successful year for Bikes Not Bombs, but none of it would have been possible without the steadfast dedication of thousands of individuals and community partners. No matter how you contributed to the effort, we are deeply grateful for your support. If you have any questions about our Annual Report or would like to receive a paper copy, please contact Allie Hunter, Director of Fundraising & Events, at [email protected] or 617-522-0222 x106. Thanks!
May 7 – June 14, 2012
(Mon – Thurs, 3:30 – 6:30p)
Girls In Action is BNB’s all-girls program. Just like our co-ed Earn-A-Bike program, Girls In Action combines bicycle mechanics and riding and is a great way for girls aged 12-18 to learn new things, make friends, get active and earn a bike of their own! In addition to mechanics, GIA offers fitness, safety, and environmental activities, as well as weekly workshops or field trips! You might visit an urban farm, learn how to do henna tattoos, or do community service, all while meeting other cool girls and learning how to completely rebuild a bike.
This program runs Monday through Thursday from 3:30 to 6:30 pm each day. Youth without schedule conflicts are given preference. No experience in biking or mechanics is necessary to apply and as with Earn-A-Bike, every program graduate will ride away on her very own refurbished bicycle!
Applications are available online. We can also email or mail applications to you or you can pick them up in person. Read more online. If you have any questions please contact Elijah Evans, Youth Programs Director, at 617-522-0222 x101 or email [email protected].
For our June 3rd Bike-A-Thon this year we have a new 40 mile route! Perhaps you’ve already ridden the 25 or 15 mile Bike-A-Thon route in past years and now you’d like to push yourself to ride a little further! Or maybe you’ve done the 65 before and you’d like to get back to the festival earlier to see more live music! Or, for the few of you out there that have not yet ridden in this fantastic fundraising bike ride, this new 40 mile route will be a great way to dive in!
Route maps are now online for all four routes!
We’ve designed this new 40 mile ride to be as scenic as possible. It heads straight out west to the Farm Pond area in Dover and Sherborn. Avid roadies from all over Boston know this area as one of the best places to find smooth roads and beautiful views. At the midpoint of the route you’ll have the pleasure of visiting the Peace Abbey for a quick snack and water refill. Along the way you’ll ride by sweeping fields, babbling brooks, and shady groves. The route will take you back to the Green Roots Festival in Jamaica Plain via the same path as the longer 65 mile ride.
All four rides give you the opportunity to support the amazing work of Bikes Not Bombs by fundraising $150 or more using our easy online fundraising system. You can also form a team with friends or as a group from your work or other organizations, and we give out prizes to recognize top teams. Register nowand ride with us on June 3rd!
Come help out at our annual Bike-A-Thon and Green Roots Festival this year on June 3rd, with a rain date of June 24th. We need over one hundred volunteers to make this huge event happen! Sign up to volunteerand you could end up doing all sorts of fun stuff like: biking along the route to help riders, setting up tents and banners, supervising festival activities, and more! Note that you can sign up for June 3rd, or June 24th, or both — and we even have some tasks that you can help out with before the event too! Volunteers get special access to free food at the festival as well as a new 2012 Bikes Not Bombs shirt! Get your friends to sign up too and we’ll do our best to give you tasks that you can do together. Join the team!
We need more folding tables and pop up tents for our Bike-A-Thon and Festival in June! Do you have access to these? Would you be willing lend them to us, or even donate them?
- Folding Tables: would ideally be 6 or 8 feet long, thick plastic tables with fold-out legs. Other varieties may be useful too.
- Pop-Up Tents: must be free-standing, should be at least 10 feet square, heavy-duty preferred.
If you’re able to lend or donate some of these supplies to us it would be super helpful! Contact Sean Madsen at [email protected] or 617-522-0222 x111.
Have a Mac that you’re no longer using? Donate it to BNB and alleviate the headaches that many of our staff face when trying to use current software with out-dated hardware! To arrange a donation, contact Sean Madsen, our IT manager at [email protected] or 617-522-0222 x111. As long as your Mac is Intel based, we want it! If you’re not sure, call Sean and he’ll help you figure it out. If you are sure that it’s Intel, then feel free to bring it to either of our locations or any of our upcoming bike drives. If you live close to JP, we may even be able to come pick it up!
The Bike Shop is hosting Free Clinics coming up. On Friday 4/13, from 8-9pm, we’ll be doing a basic maintenance clinic. Learn some maintenance basics like lubing your chain and airing your tires, as well as things to check before going on a ride. Come prepared with any questions you’ve been dying to ask – no judgments here! On Monday 4/23, we’ll also be doing a free flat fixing clinic. Learn to take tires on & off, analyze & diagnose flats, and patch tubes. No reservations are required for the free clinics, but do be sure to show up on time!
In non-education-news, we’re still doing some spring cleaning around the shop, which means some great markdowns for you. A few more Ortlieb panniers & handlebar bags as well as Baileyworks messenger backpacks and some Nutcase helmets. Whoa! Come buy your new commuter bike and get it fully outfitted so you can avoid the infamous Sweaty Back Syndrome this summer!
Announcing our new Same-Day-Wednesday repairs! Now that we’re open 8am-9pm on Wednesdays, we’ll be offering some same-day repairs. If you schedule the repair in advance, you’ll be able to drop off your bike on your way to work in the morning (before 10am) and pickup on your way home (after 7pm)! Amazing!
Finally, the Bike Shop needs donations of rags! We want cotton cloth (can be old clothes, etc) cut into pieces – 6″x12″ is a rough guide. Bring these to our 18 Bartlett Square location. If you can’t cut them before donating, contact us first to talk about much quantity you’d be bringing. Contact Drake at 617-522-0226 or [email protected]
A bike drive is an event, often organized by a volunteer, to collect bicycles for Bikes Not Bombs. Large drives will sometime bring in over 200 bikes! These drives help us extend our network of bike collection beyond our two locations in Jamaica Plain. If you have a bike to donate, you can always bring it to Jamaica Plain, but if you live further away, then hopefully you’ll be able to find a bike drive that is closer. Some upcoming drives: 
- Durham, NH on Sat, Apr 7th
- Southbridge, MA on Sat, Apr 14th
- Newton, MA on Sun, Apr 15th
- Franklin, MA on Sat, Apr 21st
- Lowell, MA on Sun, Apr 22nd
- Winchester, MA on Sat, Apr 28th
- Watertown, MA on Sat, Apr 28th
- Billerica, MA on Sat, May 5th
- Medfield, MA on Sat, May 5th
- Andover, MA on Sat, May 5th
- Acton, MA on Sat, May 5th
- Natick, MA on Sat, May 5th
- Concord, MA on Sat, May 5th
Full info on these and more bike drives online.
Want to help bring Bikes Not Bombs’ bike collection to your town? We’d love to have your help to organize a bike drive!
Ronald is one of the longest tenured Youth Instructors and it shows. He’s stepped up in amazing ways to help his fellow Youth Employees learn new skills and has been taking a step back to watch them shine. When there’s an opportunity to take initiative – like helping pick out bikes for Earn-A-Bike – Ronald can be counted on to be there. Ronald makes a real effort around BNB and is always happy to lend his mechanics expertise to someone in need. It’s been so amazing to watch Ronald grow and change and the Hub wouldn’t be the same without his sense of humor. Congrats to Ronald on a well deserved and much overdue award!
Earn-A-Bike Summer Session #1: July 4, 2012–July 20, 2012
Application Deadline: June 27, 2012
Earn-A-Bike Summer Session #2: July 25, 2012–August 12, 2012
Application Deadline: July 18, 2012
Bikes Not Bombs is currently enrolling applicants for the Summer 2012 sessions of the Earn-A-Bike Program. In the program you’ll choose a bike and learn the skills to not only build it up, but maintain it as well. At the end of the program, once the bike is built, it is yours to take home! Additionally, we go on bike adventures to explore some of the fascinating places Boston has to offer, and look into various environmental awareness topics.
There are a limited number of spots available. Applicants are chosen based on application date, and the applicant’s availability and willingness to commit. To qualify for enrollment, BOTH the application (filled out) and payment (cash, check or money order) need to be submitted. If you (student) are not accepted into the program, you will be notified and your program fee will be returned.
If you have any questions please contact Elijah Evans, Director of Youth Programs, at 617-522-0222 x101 or email [email protected]
Applications are available online. Mail or deliver the application & fee to: Bikes Not Bombs, 284 Amory Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Mark your calendars for this fun movement-building event! Celebrating its 5th year of fun and awareness, the Green Roots Festival has become a staple of sharing ideas to make our neighborhoods and the world a better place. The Green Roots Festival is an outdoor celebration with food, live music, exhibitors, vendors, and interactive children’s activities, put on by Bikes Not Bombs! The Festival takes place Noon – 5:30 in the park adjacent to the Stony Brook T Station in Jamaica Plain. Each year we continue to grow and expand with a diverse selection of exhibitors and interactive activities. The festival is free and open to the public, and we welcome everyone to enjoy an afternoon in the park!
An of course, if you are riding the Bike-A-Thon, this festival is the afterparty for your ride!
Read more online about the festival, how to volunteer (including yoga, massage, and children’s activities volunteers) and how to apply to be an exhibitor or vendor.
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