BLOOMINGTON, MN (BRAIN)—QBP is donating $10,000 to the Ogden Bicycle Collective, a nonprofit organization that promotes bicycles for transportation and recreation.
QBP, which is opening a new distribution center in Ogden, Utah in Spring 2010, has a long record of advocating for bike-related causes.
Currently led by volunteers, the Ogden Bicycle Collective will use the QBP donation and matching funds from the Utah Conservation Corp and Utah State University to hire a full-time administrator. This official will find resources, develop programs and oversee the Collective’s growth for the next 10 months. The Ogden Bicycle Collective is closely
affiliated with Salt Lake Bicycle Collective in Salt Lake City.
“The donation from QBP will have a huge impact,” said Josh Jones, an Ogden city staffer and volunteer who helped launch the Collective. “We have a storefront location, we have lots of bikes and parts, and we have volunteers who can teach people how to fix bikes. What we really need, though, is a person who can put all the pieces together and manage the organization. The money from QBP will help us do exactly that.” He added that the new resources will let the Collective maintain consistent hours of operation and a stable business presence in the community.
Using funds from QBP and other sources, the Collective will launch an ambitious slate of initiatives. Partnering with Weber State University and Ogden City, they will establish a
community bike-lending program modeled after the Fort Collins Bike Library in Colorado. The Collective will also establish a local chapter of Trips for Kids, a national
organization that enrolls at-risk youth in bicycling through mountain-bike rides, Earn-ABike programs and other incentives. Additionally, the Collective will offer bike safety training.
“Wherever we have employees and a presence in a community, we want to be part of the bicycle culture and give back to the community,” said Steve Flagg, president and founder
of QBP. “The Ogden Bicycle Collective not only leverages our donation but also adds a Trips for Kids chapter in an area that has not had one.”
