ST. PAUL, Minn. (BRAIN) — Park Tool has announced the winners of its 2017 Community Tool Grants, a program that supplies 10 non-profit organizations with Park Tool products worth more than $1,400. This year more than 125 organizations applied for the grants.
The grant recipients receive a Park PK-2 Professional Mechanic Tool Kit, two PCS-10 Portable Repair Stands and a copy of the Park Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair.
"For the second year, we had a tremendously hard time picking winners for our Park Tool Community Tool Grant recipients," said Eric Hawkins, the president and chief mechanic at Park. "All the applicants were well deserving and even though we wish we could support them all, we had to narrow it down to ten. I hope everyone who didn't win this year applies again for 2018."
The winners are:
- Dong's Cycling Pals, Denver, Colorado. Dong's Cycling Pals' mission is to encourage kids to lead active and healthy lives through the joy of riding a bike. They partner with schools in low income neighborhoods by providing free professional bicycle repair along with partnering with local bicycle rodeos.
- Jubilee Mennonite Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Jubilee Mennonite Church is located in a community which has a high percentage of newcomers to Canada, First Nations families, single parent families, lower income families and families struggling with the effects of FASD and other mental health issues. They provide bicycles and bicycle repair to community members for recreation and general transportation.
- YMCA Youth Investment Center, Puyallup, Washington. The YMCA Youth Investment Center serves ages 12-18 as a drop-in center for teens. They create a safe environment for teens to complete their homework as well as provide real life skills classes, community connection class, healthy relationship class, a youth group type program, and creative day including a bike shop to help teens in the program and the homeless.
- Bike Walk Wichita, INC. Wichita, Kansas. Since 2010, Bike Walk Wichita has been the primary bicycle advocacy organization in Wichita, improving and increasing biking and walking across the city and region through advocacy, education, collaboration, and providing resources to those in need. BWW's ReCycle program was initiated at the end of calendar year 2015 to meet a growing need in their community. Since that time, it has become a well-recognized resource providing transportation and education to Wichita's populations of immigrants, working poor, at-risk youth and others
- In The Saddle, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In The Saddle is a cycling-based 501c3 located in Philadelphia. Their mission is to build a fellowship of recovering (from chemical dependency) individuals through cycling, community service, and group therapy. In addition to serving the recovery community, we also support allies of the recovery community (family and friends who have been affected by their loved one's use).
- The Bike Cave Collective, Duluth, Minnesota. The Bike Cave Collective is a project of the Loaves and Fishes Community. They are located in the basement of Dorothy Day House, a hospitality house that has offered refuge to homeless and migrant men since 1989. The Bike Cave Collective is not a charity. It's rare that they hand out free bikes, rather they encourage personal empowerment through bicycle education and community volunteering.
- Cycling Into The Future, Kitchener, Ontario. Cycling Into The Future is a not-for-profit Canadian organization. They do comprehensive cycling education for Grade 5 students in Waterloo Region schools. Their training includes in-class, school-yard and on-road instruction. In one of their 6 modules, they have mechanics come in and tune up each student's bike. They also refurbish bikes for kids who can't get a bike on their own.
- TREO, Waterford, Ireland. Treo works with people aged 16 to 23 years of age. Their main goal is to support each person to reduce their criminal activity, encourage and support them make more positive choices and move forward with their lives. TREO offers a Bicycle Repair and Service program that provides accreditation as well as providing a bicycle recycling program for the area.
- North Natomas Transportation Management Association, Sacramento, California. The North Natomas Transportation Management Association is a small, localized non-profit with the goal of reducing single occupancy vehicle trips, and improve air quality. They currently have a staff of four and partner with schools, city planners and officials, developers, bike shops, businesses and the community in general. They do many bicycle encouragement programs to get more people on their bikes, more often. Theydo that by offering programs and services and work with the city to improve infrastructure.
- A Bike For Every Child, Wilmington, North Carolina. A Bike for Every Child collects used bikes, repairs them, and gives the bikes to kids and adults in need. They are 100 percent volunteer run 501c3 and we operate out of The Harrelson Center in downtown Wilmington, NC. The program has converted a local jail into multiple mechanics work stations that are manned by volunteer mechanics. Bikes are refurbished to support community programs such as the Youth Earn A bike program and the Trail Buddie program which provides grade school youth the opportunity to discover the joys of mountain biking while educating them on the basics of trail riding, trail and bicycle maintenance, and safety precautions.
