Alternative Fuel partnership benefiting the community!

n 2009, Jittery Joe's introduced Alternative Fuel, a special coffee blend designed to support the programs and activities of BikeAthens. Available ground or whole bean, Alternative Fuel sales directly enable BikeAthens' safety & advocacy efforts as well as direct service programs such as Holiday Bikes for Kids.

Thanks to the support of Jittery Joe's and drinkers of Alternative Fuel, BikeAthens was able to refurbish and donate over 60 children's bicycles to local families in need this holiday season. Every bicycle was thoroughly cleaned and repaired by volunteers, then delivered in time for the holidays with a brand new helmet.

Proceeds from the sale of the Alternative Fuel coffee blend have been instrumental in the growth of programs like Holiday Bikes for Kids. The extra revenue has allowed for the purchase of tools, work stands, cleaner, helmets, and much more. Since the partnership began, Jittery Joe's has contributed $1,169.50 to BikeAthens!

There's still time to get your Alternative Fuel - a great gift for the cyclist in your family!
Order online here, or visit the Jittery Joe's Roaster on E. Broad St or any of the Athens-area Jittery Joe's locations.

BikeAthens extends its sincerest thanks to our generous neighbors at Jittery Joe's for supporting our work. Fore more about Jittery Joe's and Alternative Fuel, please visit www.jitteryjoes.com/fundraising/alternativefuel.html

Holiday Bikes for Kids delivers 41 bicyles

Thanks to the hard work and organizing efforts of the Bike Recycling Program volunteers, this morning BikeAthens delivered 41 fully refurbished youth bikes and brand new helmets to Fowler Drive Elementary School!

The bikes will be picked up tomorrow morning by parents, who will pass these along to some very happy children on Christmas morning.

Way to be, BRP!

Some pics of the delivery below:

Holiday Bikes for Kids

The Holiday Bikes for Kids project got some coverage in the ABH today.

Also, tonight & Wednesday we are preparing for Thursday night's Downtown Parade of Lights. If you can't make it for the prep sessions, be sure to come down to Dougherty St, across from Denney Towers, on Thursday between 6 and 6:30- all walkers and cyclists are welcome to join our float!

On the air! Bike Recycling on the radio

Board member Mike Ely is about to be interviewed on News/Talk 1340. He'll be discussing our Holiday Bikes for Kids project.
Tune in online!

For those who couldn't tune in, Mike discussed our Holiday Bikes for Kids.
Press release below:

Holiday Bikes for Kids

Got an old child-sized bicycle taking up space in the garage? Unclutter your life and support a great cause: BikeAthens' popular Bike Recycling Program is gearing up for the seventh annual Holiday Bikes for Kids project!

Bicycle donations are requested, and volunteers are needed to clean and repair children's bikes for giveaway during the holidays.

The Holiday Bikes for Kids project seeks to provide a happy holiday season to underprivileged youth by providing them with a quality, fully refurbished bicycle. Through the program, volunteers clean, polish and tune up donated youth bicycles. The refurbished bikes are then donated to local agencies and schools for distribution. Last year, over fifty bicycles were presented to children in the Athens community!

To ensure that as many bicycles as possible reach local children in need, BikeAthens encourages the community to donate used children's bicycles, volunteer time, supplies, and money. More donated bicycles and volunteer hours mean more holiday wishes fulfilled! Supporters may also send in shop supplies, such as rags, all-purpose degreasers, very fine steel wool, paper towels, and bicycle lubricant. Cash donations allow for the purchase of needed parts and will offset the cost of the new helmets that are distributed with every bike.

Volunteers will repair bicycles during regular shop hours (Sundays 2-4 PM and Mondays and Wednesdays 6-8 PM) until the week of Christmas. Individuals seeking to donate bicycles, supplies, or other gifts can stop by at these times or contact bicyclerecycling@bikeathens.com.

BikeAthens’ Bike Recycling Program repair shop is located in studio 6 of the Chase Street Warehouse (149 Oneta Street). Additional information and directions available at bikeathens.com/activities/bike_recycling/

Thursday, November 26 (Thanksgiving Day), from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, BikeAthens will formally kick-off the Holiday Bikes for Kids project at the Bike Recycling Program workshop.

Contact: Jason Perry & Mike Ely, bicyclerecycling@bikeathens.com

BRP in the news

The Red & Black, UGA's student-run newspaper, profiles our Bike Recycling Program today.

BRP is gearing up for its annual Holiday Bikes for Kids campaign. Want to get involved? Come by the shop during open hours to volunteer:

Sunday, 2:00-4:30 pm
Monday & Wednesday, 6:00-8:30 pm

50 kids bikes delivered to local agencies

Just in time for the holidays, our Bike Recycling Program has refurbished and delivered
fifty children’s bicycles to a number of Athens area social service agencies. Dozens of generous donors have dropped off children’s bicycles, many of which have been in basements for years. Volunteers met three times a week at the Bike Recycling workshop in the Chase Street warehouses to clean, repair, and test ride each bicycle.

Every bike has been delivered with a brand new helmet as well.

Bicycles and helmets were delivered to the following agencies:

• 23 bikes to Fowler Elementary
• 14 to CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)
• 2 to Project Safe
• 2 to Open Hearts
• 2 bikes for St Vincent DePaul
• 2 for Athens Land Trust
• 3 kids bikes and 3 adult bicycles for the Athens Area Homeless Shelter
• Plus, a handful of extra children’s bikes for other agencies

“We never would have succeeded without the overwhelming generosity of the community,” said
Bike Recycling Program co‐manager Jason Perry.

“We received so many donations‐‐from kids, from adults, from organizations‐‐that we struggled to keep them from piling up. And of course our volunteers really made things happen: many of the bikes only needed a little cleaning and a tune‐up, but often we were doing major overhauls on bikes that started out looking like scrap metal. The results were amazing.”

In 2009, the Bike Recycling Program hopes to locate a larger, more comfortable work space as well as a dedicated contingent of new volunteers to assist with ongoing efforts to refurbish adult bicycles. Donations poured in this fall, and the Chase Street workshop is brimming with bikes in need of repair.

Volunteers can stop by the workshop on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 – 8:30 PM and on Sunday afternoons from 2:00‐4:30 PM. Program managers also hope to expand the shop hours to Monday evenings in the new year. For more about the program and directions to the shop, visit
www.bikeathens.com/activities/bike_recycling.

Many thanks to all the volunteers and donors who made this possible!

Holiday Bikes for Kids Kickoff

An official announcement from our Bike Recycling Program:

On Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving Day), from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, BikeAthens will kick-off its annual Holiday Bikes for Kids project at the Bicycle Recycling Program workshop. The Holiday Bikes for Kids project refurbishes used bicycles for donation to underserved youth in the Athens area.

The sixth annual Holiday Bikes for Kids project seeks to provide a happy holiday season to underprivileged youth by providing them with a quality, fully refurbished bicycle. Bicycles are cleaned, polished and returned to working condition by volunteers and then donated to local agencies and schools for distribution. In the past, BikeAthens has provided bicycles to Fowler Road Elementary , Athens Area Homeless Shelter, Catholic Charities and other social support agencies. Each bicycle is delivered with a new helmet. This year volunteers hope to deliver 50 bicycles.

“I still remember the joy of receiving a new bicycle for Christmas” said Peter Norris, a board member for BikeAthens, “and I hope to pass that joy along.” The project, which started in a small storage shed with a handful of volunteers, has now grown to include dozens of volunteers working twice a week at a workshop in the Chase Street Warehouses. In 2007 the program donated 30 bicycles.

“Many years ago I wanted to volunteer on Thanksgiving day but found that traditional volunteer activities were already booked up. The bicycle project provides another way for folks to volunteer on that day” says Norris. Volunteers do not need any specialized skills as most of the work entails cleaning and polishing. BikeAthens provides all the tools and supplies.

The project will continue to repair bicycles during its regular shop hours; Sundays 2-4 PM and Wednesdays 6-8 PM until the week of Christmas. Individuals seeking to donate bicycles can drop them off at these times. BikeAthens’ bicycle repair shop is located in studio 6 of the Chase Street Warehouse (149 Oneta Street). Additional information and directions available here.

Contact: Peter Norris, 706-543-1574, treasurer@bikeathens.com