a.k.a Christmas Party, South Atlanta Bike Shop style

We have been battling illegal dumping of old tires in our neighborhood for a while by reporting offenders (when we catch them) and by regular neighborhood cleanup events. Recently we discovered a pile of tires dumped behind the bike shop so we decided to turn lemons into lemonade and make a race track for the kids.

We made invitations and sent them to all kids that have ever worked at the bike shop to come to the Christmas party. Despite bad weather almost 30 kids showed up ready to have fun.

We prepared a time trial race for the kids behind the bike shop with a really nice bike as the first prize. With the nearly invisible stump it turned out to be a little bit of an obstacle course too.

Keyuntay had the fastest time and is now the proud owner of a sweet Raleigh mountain bike.

After the race we went inside the bike shop to enjoy some pizza and talk about what we were going to do next year.

We are tremendously grateful for friends that helped us cover:

• A bike shop shirt for everyone
• Cost of invitations/postage
• pizza and drinks
• tape for the race track
• a first aid kit.

We are also thankful for all our volunteers and police officers that helped us out.

Merry Christmas everyone!

I wanted to thank you for your prayers and support. Without you we would not be able to sustain our development work in South Atlanta. There would be no bike shop and the 65+ kids (since we opened the bike shop) would not get to earn bikes or experience an environment where they are seen as valuable and capable of changing the world.

Recently I got to share the story of the bike shop at a Christmas party of a local company that significantly helps financially sustain the bike shop. As I was selecting photos for the presentation I was reminded of all the ways God has provided and grown this ministry.

When the bike shop started we didn’t have space so I held the bike shop outside.

And we didn’t have tools other than what I brought from home

Thanks to generosity of two friends we now have a 700+ sq. ft space with six work stations and a store front!

Cycle of Love is a yearly bicycle ride from Birmingham, AL to Atlanta, GA (~165 miles) to draw attention to the struggles of brothers and sisters that live with daily injustice. Every year we take part in this event to raise awareness about (and funds for) our fight for the future of the youth of South Atlanta.

We didn’t join just to raise funds for our youth development program. We formed a team including five of our bike shop kids to represent the South Atlanta Bike Shop. Yes, that made things exponentially more difficult than just riding 165 miles ourselves. But we can’t claim to be serious about youth development and not include these young leaders in an event like this even if we have to confront the status quo of how fundraising is supposed to be done.

Some of our team ended up riding only one section of the trip, some rode all but one section. Of the teens, one was able to complete the entire trip with us. All of us were changed by this experience.

As of this morning we raised $700 (Thank You!) but that’s not the final number yet as we are still waiting for some of the pledged donations to arrive. You know who you are!

Last year Evan and I joined Cycle of Love to ride from Birmingham, AL to Atlanta, GA (160+ miles) to raise funds for the bike shop.

For Cycle of Love 2011 (Nov 5-6) our bike shop team has five teens plus two volunteers and me embarking on this life-changing journey. We are asking for donations for our youth development program at $1/mile (or more if you’d like). You can sponsor as many miles as you would like!

Our first pledge came from GA state representative Margaret Kaiser for $1/mile for the entire trip. Please join Mrs. Kaiser in supporting the at-risk youth of South Atlanta by supporting the work we do!

Last Saturday we took a group of bike shop kids to the Silver Comet Trail. Yes, we could have taken a ride around the neighborhood (which we do every now and then) or to the Turner field and back but we can do that any day. We wanted give them an experience outside of the neighborhood, on a real bicycle trail where real cyclist ride.

So after we prepared all the bikes (that the kids have earned over the last few months) and found helmets for everyone (courtesy of City of Atlanta Police Department’s COPS program) we loaded the bikes onto Andrej’s truck, loaded the kids into the church van and set out for Smyrna, GA – an approx. 20 mile drive.

All of them did wonderful. At 12 miles this was the longest bike ride of their life (so far). They raced us, raced each other, and in their own way practiced their trail etiquette with “passing on your left” and if that wasn’t enough also, “on your right!”

At the end of the trip we were surprised by a couple from our neighborhood that invited all of us to Chic-fil-A which was incredible! The kids were super excited. What generosity!

After we returned to the neighborhood there was a lot of bragging and the story grew bigger and bigger every time it was told. Then they continued riding around the block with some more “on your left” and “on your right.”

Needless to say we will be doing more of these trips and will need more volunteers.

Yesterday we received letters from Atlanta’s Mayor Kasim Reed and Atlanta City Council congratulating us to celebrating one year anniversary of the South Atlanta Bike Shop. In turn we thank all of you that helped make this program possible! We rely on donations of bicycles, parts, tools, and finances to operate the program so your generosity plays a huge part in reaching the at-risk youth of South Atlanta. Thank you!

Over the last several weeks we two television stations covered the work of our bike shop.

Written by Andrej

As we were wrapping up today’s shift (with six police officers volunteering) this image was taken, capturing the unlikely trust being built between these caring officers and urban youth of South Atlanta. THIS is why the South Atlanta Bike Shop partners with the Atlanta Police Department – so that this is the only way the officer is ever driving with the young man in the back seat.

Written by Andrej

A couple of weeks ago I got pulled over riding my tricycle down Jonesboro Rd. with my 3-year-old son in the back seat (a.k.a tool basket), on my way home from the bike shop.

The police officer approached me asking if I was the guy running the bike shop. Not the first thing I expected to hear from him.

He told me about a group of six or seven boys he frequently sees in Lakewood Heights (a neighborhood that borders ours) always working on their bicycles but unable to complete the repairs due to lack of tools and parts. He asked me if I would be willing to help them out if he brought them to the bike shop. I told him I’d love to but I’d first need to look for a volunteer or two to help manage six boys. He offered to volunteer and we scheduled the event.

The following week three police officers barged into the bike shop during the Wednesday shift to make sure I was still planning on the event. All three committed to be there and volunteer.

The afternoon of the event a police van full of kids and their broken bicycles pulled up behind the bike shop, followed by five police cruisers. It was quite the sight but each police officer paired up with a kid and Evan (a student mechanic you will soon hear more about) and I just bounced around from team to team offering direction and pointing them to where the right tool/part might be.

At the end of the event a couple from our neighborhood showed up with pizza and soft drinks for everybody. They wanted to show their appreciation for the police officers for their willingness to get their hands dirty helping these kids get their bikes fixed.

Results:

• the teams fixed five out of seven bicycles and the owners of the two unfixable ones are going to be back to earn bicycles from our bike shop
• the youth had a positive experience with the police which is huge for neighborhoods such as ours with typically a very low level of trust towards the police
• neighbors saw a large number of officers involved in a POSITIVE event. I am told by elderly in our community that this was a first.
• Evan, my assistant mechanic experienced his first event on the other side (as staff) and we had a very insightful debrief discussing the challenges these young boys and girls face and how we cannot be satisfied by just being an after-school program. We are about changing these kids’ lives – by vocational training, increased employability, and youth leadership development.
• We need to restock inner tubes, tires, chains, bottom brackets, pedals and wheels

If you want to help the South Atlanta Bike Shop run this and other programs please check out our list of needs.

Written by Andrej

Last week I decided to take the bike shop mobile. I loaded up my tricycle with some bike tools, parts and a kids bike in need of repair and headed for the streets of the Historic South Atlanta. Just a few blocks into my journey I ran across a group of kids that were intrigued by the adult tricycle and the prospect of being able to earn a bicycle for themselves.

I set up shop on Thayer Ave and the boys and I brought the bicycle to working order. In the process they learned how to fix a flat tire, set the chain with the right tension, adjust front brakes and keep a bicycle properly lubed. They each got their hands dirty and in the end the bicycle was as good as new.

Boys love mechanics and fixing things. It was great to see their creativity and energy channeled in a positive way. I am praying that God continues to provide and that we are able to increase the amount of youth we impact through our program. If you believe in what we are doing please consider sponsoring an item on the list of things we need.