SLCBC 2006 Annual Report

Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective

NOTE: THIS IS ONLY A DRAFT

Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective 2006 Annual Report

Building community with bicycles

Director’s Report 2006

This was the year of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective. To quote an award given by Cycling Utah, “The Salt Lake Bicycle Collective (www.slcbikecollective.org) runs on one gear. Fast.” Thanks to our wonderful volunteers, partnerships, donors, and general community support we are celebrating significant achievements in 2006, milestones that have set the stage for a powerful 2007.

The most noteworthy accomplishments were the hiring of the first full-time employee, launching Utah’s first BikeEd program, becoming the free helmet distribution point, spearheading a national network of community bicycle organizations, and offering more youth programs than ever before. Fueled with more volunteers, participants and programs than ever before this deceivingly small organization is poised to transform bicycling in Salt Lake, and be a riding force in making our community more Bicycle Friendly.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Bicycle Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and lower income households.

History

The Collective was founded in April, 2002, by six enthusiastic bicycle advocates. We set out to share the virtues of bicycling with our community and build the bicycling environment with a creative advocacy organization. Along with providing the gathering place, tools, education, art projects, and community services, the Collective is about having fun while helping others.

Community Bicycle Shop

We talk about what an "edge" is, learn left and right (to look L-R-L), talk about what we are looking for, learn to tell the difference between moving and stopped cars, near and far ones and learn to use the pedestrian buttons. It is amazing to have them stand up and learn to stand in one place for two minutes -- the time a traffic light can take to change. It is an eternity to them. But they learn what the wait feels like.

Bike Ed events - Highlights

Bike safety presentation Thursday 9/14 in Taylorsville

LCIs Doug, Chris, Ashley, and Ron were highly creative in keeping the attention of the kids by teaching skills and doing on-bike demonstrations in the school cafeteria. The event was planned for 130 kids, but due to heavy rains, about 15 kids ranging in age from 4 to about 12 showed up with a half dozen parents.

The 5 instructors were Doug (lead), Susan, Erik, Ashley and me (Chris). We started with the Kid's Eye View Video. Doug was emcee and (indoor) bike skills demonstrator. Eric impressed me with his ability to connect with the kids in presenting the ABC Quick check. There were some really sharp kids, as well as some ringers who had previously had Doug's Kids 2 class. Susan did a presentation for the parents, while Ashley and Chris offered instruction for the kids. It went well -- especially given the age spread. Those who attended got a lot out of it and enjoyed themselves. We'll have to wait and see how things go when we have 130 kids in a group.

While teaching kids has its challenges, it is also a blast! They come up with the greatest comments and observations. They taught how some flats are caused by "pokies" and other are caused by "pinchies". You can see in the eyes of our students, young or old, the desire to progress in their skills and enjoyment of cycling, and if we can deliver, we have made a positive difference. Combine solid teaching and solid principles and you have hope for the future out on the road on bikes and in cars. Our job as instructors is to sell the concept that safe = fun = cool.

Beacon Heights Kids I

The big news, however, is that Jonathan got one little girl well on her way to riding without training wheels!

Earn-a-Bike Courses

YouthCity Bike Bonanza

In the Bike Bonanza class, kids choose a bike of their liking from the Collective’s inventory, strip it down to the frame, and build the bicycle under the direction of volunteer staff or a previous course graduate.

Instead of building a bike for herself, one of the middle school kids in our Earn-a-bike class built it for her younger brother as a Christmas present. We were so impressed by her maturity and generosity that we surprised her with a bike for herself. When asked to write a letter explaining why she was getting the bike for free, she responded:

"Dear Jon,

I'm getting this bike for free because... It's going to my brother for Christmas. I have worked hard on this bike. I'm scared that he will get beat up cause of the way his bike is painted. I'm giving this other bike to you so you can spray paint it and use it. It's a present.

Thank you so much, Cydney"

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Community Outreach

International Rescue Committee (IRC)

The Collective first partnered with the IRC in 2004 to provide transportation bikes and kids bikes to Somali Bantu refugee families. In 2006 the Collective refurbished and donated 31 bikes to 31 adult refugees, and 24 kids' bikes and helmets through the Youth City project.

Diane Browning writes: IRC brings adult refugees who have gotten a job to the Collective where the Collective volunteers then select and fit a bike appropriate for each individual. This "gift" to these refugees means that they do not have to walk to and from home, work, school, and social service appointments. Often times, bus routes and Trax stations are many blocks away from their homes. It is often I see a refugee with his new bike pedaling to the Trax station - a huge smile born of independence on his face!

8 Sudanese men received bikes that they used to get them home from night classes at Salt Lake Community College - after the buses stop running. 14 Somali men used the bikes fitted for them to access social services for their families, as well as for the primary means of transportation to work. 3 Burmese men received bikes to assist them in going to their employment as professional interpreters at various appointments throughout the valley. 4 Mesketian Turk men and 2 women ride their bikes for "exercise" and "enjoyment" with their children.

Refugees are people forced to flee their homeland due to persecution based on race, religion, or membership in a particular social group. With a well-founded fear of death, imprisonment or torture should they return to their home, they find a new life in the Utah community and hope to restore dignity, respect and opportunity to their lives. Each year, the IRC resettles 400 refugees. The Salt Lake Bicycle Collective is valued partner is fostering self-reliance and enabling opportunity to all refugees.

Bike Collective Awards

In the final 2006 issue of Cycling Utah the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective was named the Road Club of the Year. And Jason Bultman, the Collective’s President, took home the award for "Bicycle Advocate of the Year." (Excerpts here – get permission)

Thank you for the honors Cycling Utah. We are lucky to have Dave Ward and Dave Iltis as the publisher and editor of Cycling Utah, for their commitment and generosity to bicycle advocacy in Utah. And thanks to the leadership of Lou Melini at the MBAC and Dan Fazini Jr at the SLCBAC, support for bicycling is strong in both the City and County governments. In January 2007 Mayor Rocky Anderson and his staff created a strong “complete streets” policy by issuing an executive order which “…requires the City to establish pedestrian and bicycle ways in new City construction or reconstruction projects in the public right of way.” Thanks to all of you who have been active in your community or government to support bicycling.

Contact information

Mailing Address

PO Box 2400 Salt Lake City, UT 84110

Community Bike Shop

2312 S. West Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84115

Website: www.slcbikecollective.org
Phone: 801-FAT-BIKE (801-328-2453)
Fax: 801-466-3856