We’re excited to report that NBW, along with a committed group of volunteers in Norristown, is getting ready to hold our inaugural Earn a Bike class at our location in Elmwood Park. We have secured a space, prepared for the class, and raised almost the full $5,000 we need to run the class (click here to donate and bring us closer to our goal!). What we’re looking for now: lumber donations and volunteers.
We need lumber to finish getting the Norristown location ready. What we need:
- eight 2×4x8’s
- eight 2×6x8’s
- two 4×4x8’s
- two sheets of 5/8 to 3/4 plywood (to make a closet door), or a door that can be cut down, and a couple of hinges.
We need volunteers for the Earn-a-Bike class. You don’t need to know about bike repair, you just need to like working with kids. Classes will be held twice a week Monday through Friday from 4pm to 6pm at Elmwood Park in Norristown. All volunteers will need to attend an orientation session that will be announced within the next week. We will also need volunteers for group rides, to repair bikes that we sell to raise money, and other projects. If you are interested in volunteering please send an e-mail to norristownnbw@gmail.com and visit our website at http://sites.google.com/site/nbwofnorristown and subscribe to the RSS feed in the announcements page.
NBW’s eighth summer day camp is over. Great congratulations to camp director Cat Bergeron and instructors Liz Brown, Giulia DeProphetis, and Olivia Haas. Many other people helped out, including several parents and family members, intern Jeff Cao, work study students Susan Fang and Dave Hilbert, numerous ride volunteers including Jeff Appeltans of Go Cycling and Kristin Gavin of Gearing Up. Interns Sara Kruger and Yowei Shaw mobilized youth employees to make audio yearbooks for the camp students. Keep an ear open for those being posted here soon! Youth assistats Joshua Case and Devon McPherson worked the full eight weeks. If I didn’t know anything about NBW’s summer camp and you described it to me I would think it was pretty cool. But it’s more than just the activities that are planned and the individuals who attend, work and volunteer. Because the summer camp is such an intensive bike repair and riding experience, people form special friendships that are lasting and meaningful. That is the thing that is most impressive to me. This is made possible by the dedication and skill of the people who work with the children. Each session I wondered if the 12-15 bikes would be done, but each time they were done with time to spare. It is a tribute to the planning that the staff put into the camp and to the motivation of the students. Thank you to everyone. Volunteers, donors, families–NBW is lucky to have you all. Come back next year!
– Andy
Design from the first session of summer camp
NBW has Summer Camp t-shirts for sale. The shirts were designed by the campers and silk-screened with Reclaim Print and Hottt Off The Press. We have 4 different designs printed on white t-shirts, one design from each session of the summer camp. T-shirts are $12.00. Call or email for information about purchasing shirts–215-386-0316 or info@neighborhoodbikeworks.org. They’re pretty sweet!
The Summer Bike Camp was in for a special treat today… Do-it-yourself Bike Bars!! Megan, a camper’s mother, taught a lesson in how to make your own energy bars for biking, and do they ever look delicious! Thanks to Harvest Market Natural Foods on Lancaster Pike in Hockessin, Delaware for donating all of the ingredients. Make your own tonight!
Do-It-Yourself Bike Bars
Adapted from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson (www.101cookbooks.com)
Grease a baking pan with coconut oil or coconut oil spray. Use a pie pan or a loaf pan for this half recipe or a 9 x 13 pan for the full batch.
- 1/2 c + 2 Tbs rolled oats
- 1/2 c +2 Tbs chopped nuts
- 1/4 c oat bran
- 3/4 c unsweetened crisp brown rice cereal
- 1/2 c dried fruit, chopped
- 1-2 Tbs seeds, shredded unsweetened coconut, or crystallized ginger
Mix above ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- 1/2 c brown rice syrup
- 2 Tbs natural cane sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp fine-grain sea salt
Combine the syrup, sugar, vanilla and salt in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir constantly as it comes to a boil and thickens just a bit, about 4 minutes. Pour over oat mixture and stir until it is evenly incorporated.
Spread the mixture into the pan and cool to room temperature before cutting to desired size.
EAT!
Summer is just whizzing by here at Bike Works. Last week, Summer Camp took a trip to Reclaim Print and learned how to silkscreen. Check out the beautiful prints they made!
(Photograph by Giulia de Prophetis)
We always feel grateful to our generous supporters, but lately, we’re brimming with so much gratitude that we have to give a bunch of shout-outs! Thanks to Fuji, Keswick Cycle and Breakaway Bikes for generous donations of bikes and parts, and also to the kind people who recently donated fridges to our Summer Camp. We couldn’t do it without your help. Finally, we’re excited to announce that REI recently awarded us a generous grant of funds and gear to support a new mountain biking Earn-a-Bike program, starting this fall! If you’re interested in leading mountain bike rides or otherwise volunteering with this exciting new program, please contact dcb@neighborhoodbikeworks.org.
If you’re feeling moved to help, we encourage you to make a donation online at JustGive.org, or to give us your old tools. We’re in special need of 10-millimeter or 15-millimeter wrenches, allen keys, and screwdrivers, but we can use any bike-related tools. If you have some to donate, call 215-386-0316, email timothy@neighborhoodbikeworks.org, or just drop them off at 3916 Locust Walk during our open hours.
We have another donation request… Please give us your tools!
We are in special need of:
- 10-millimeter wrenches
- 15-millimeter wrenches
- allen keys
However, we can also use your screwdrivers, or any other bike-related tools.
If you can help, please call 215-386-0316, email timothy@neighborhoodbikeworks.org, or just drop them off at our 40th & Locust shop when we’re open!
Before Summer Camp starts on July 6, we still need a couple things…
1) A large, working air conditioner –10,000 BTUs or bigger.
2) A volunteer to weld a railing onto the stairs into the basement. Preferably someone with prior welding experience!
3) Blank T-shirts — all colors, sizes and styles! We’ll silkscreen these with the NBW T-shirt design. We can even use other solid color clothing items, too.
And once Summer Camp starts, we’d love some fresh vegetables from your gardens (or the store) that can be eaten as snacks for Summer Camp. Carrots, cucumbers, radishes, beets, celery, peppers and greens are all welcome!
If you can help us out with any of the above items, please contact yowei@neighborhoodbikeworks.org.
Hey NBW youth, get excited for the next Leadership Group meeting – Monday, June 29th, 2 pm - 4 pm at the Haddington Shop on 60th and Vine. If you want to ride over from the 40th st shop, meet there at 1pm.
At this meeting, we will vote on rules for drop-ins and plan the upcoming entrepeneurship project in more detail. Contact David with any questions, at 215-386-0316 or dcb@neighborhoodbikeworks.org.
What’s the Leadership Group?
The Leadership Group is a reincarnation of NBW’s Youth Congress — a group of youth who make decisions about rules at NBW, consequences of breaking rules, and general priorities for the youth programs. They are the voice of the students. The Leadership Group also plans specific projects, including fundraising events and entrepeneurship activities. If you have suggestions, or would like more information, contact David by email at dcb@neighborhoodbikeworks.org.
Summer Camp is approaching — want to be a part of the fun? We’re looking for volunteers to help out! Summer Camp is July 6-Aug 28th, weekdays from 8:30am-4pm. You can volunteer as much or as little as you want. Some people choose to help out 1 day a week for all 4 sessions, some people come every day for 1 session… Any involvement is helpful! If you’d like to volunteer, please contact Cat as soon as possible (215-386-0316 or cat@neighborhoodbikeworks.org), and plan on attending the Summer Camp volunteer orientation on Wednesday, June 17th at 6pm.
What is exciting about volunteering at the camp?
We go on field trip rides! This year we will visit:
- Firehouse Bikes
- Urban Nutrition Initiative woodshop
- Mill Creek Farm
- The Belmont Plateau (compasses, map reading and nature walks)
- Reclaim Prints (silk-screening)
- Zhang Sah (martial arts)
- The Bill Picket Museum ( Urban cowboy history and horse back riding)
If you have any special interest in any of these trips, we would love to have you join us on that day!
We cover the entire Earn-a-Bike curriculum in just 2 weeks!
This means lots of learning about how to diagnose, fix, and avoid bicycle mechanical problems. Doing these lessons with the campers is a great way to brush up on your bike knowledge! You don’t have to be an expert mechanic to be helpful! (although, if you are an expert, don’t hesitate to volunteer, too!)
We are also looking for folks with special skills to lead presentations and workshops at camp! Do you have interest or expertise in any of these subjects? Please contact Cat if you’re interested in leading one of those workshops!
- Map reading/ compass use
- Nutrition/ importance of exercise
- Yoga
- Art project (photography, bike part art/ jewelry, etc.)
- How learning to work on bikes can help you with school subjects, like math!
- Anything else! What are you good at, what do you like? What skills would you love to pass on to young people?
Want to help before July 6? We’ll need help getting the shop and our fleet bikes ready for camp! Get in touch with Cat if you’re interested, at 215-386-0316 or cat@neighborhoodbikeworks.org.
Want to volunteer this summer but can’t make it during the week? We always need volunteers for our Saturday drop-ins! Please contact Yowei at yowei@neighborhoodbikeworks.org for weekend volunteer options.
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