Several months ago I happened to sit next to a young man I hadn't met before at a Strawberry Hill Neighborhood Association meeting.
In the course of our conversation, I learned that his name is Ben Alexander, that he and his wife Sofie recently moved to the Strawberry Hill neighborhood, and that he is an avid cyclist who has a passion for getting kids on bikes and teaching them not only how to ride safely, but also how to keep their bikes in tip-top operating condition.
He makes a real difference in our community by serving as Executive Director of a non-profit organization named FreeWheels for Kids (Facebook) that has a mission of "getting more kids on bikes more often and more safely in Kansas City."
As we talked, he spoke passionately about the benefits to health, the environment and society that come from empowering boys and girls to learn how to both ride and repair bicycles.
FreeWheels stages many different bike events at different locations throughout our community and I'd been meaning to attend one, but could never make the time work. I finally got a chance to see Ben in action on Saturday, May 18th when FreeWheels collaborated with the Latino Health For All Coalition to host a spectacular Waterway Park Bike Festival.
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| Waterway Park was alive with activity at the Bike Festival on May 18. |
This event grew from an original plan to hold a "cyclovia" on Central Avenue. A cyclovia is an event where one or more city streets are closed to automobile traffic for part of a day to allow unlimited access to folks on bicycles.
Unfortunately, logistical issues threatened to torpedo the cyclovia, so FreeWheels teamed up with Latino Health For All to create a combination bike rodeo and health fair. The YMCA and the Central Area Betterment Association also participated in creating and hosting the event.
Ben estimated that 80 to 100 kids participated in the bike safety aspect of the event. He and his volunteers helped the kids learn all sorts of skills ranging from how to work on their bikes to how to wear a helmet to how to signal and navigate on both city streets and country roads.
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| Pit stop! Volunteers and attendees focused on bringing bikes up to top operating condition. |
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| Ben Alexander demonstrates how to wear a helmet so that it properly protects a rider's head. |
After they wrapped up initial instruction, the volunteers engaged the kids in "time trials" around the park where kids rode fast and challenged the clock rather than other riders. Although most kids brought their own bikes to the event, FreeWheels did give away about six bikes to lucky attendees.
When we talked after the event, Ben emphasized how empowering it is for kids to learn how to fix a bike, perform well in a time trial and navigate traffic challenges like a four way stop.
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| A spectacular day at Waterway Park! |
FreeWheels has been in existence since 2011. It was incorporated in 2012 and there is now a Board of Directors to help Ben plan and execute the activities of the organization
FreeWheels has a goal of giving away 900 bikes this year. They accept donations of used bikes throughout the year and can use bikes ranging from tiny ones for pre-K riders all the way up to big ones for really tall high schoolers.
One of the innovative ways they get bikes in the hands of kids is their Earn a Bike program. Each Earn a Bike class has up to 15 participants and typically runs two sessions per week for three weeks. FreeWheels gives the participants a helmet, basic bike tools and a notebook with their training curriculum. The participants then earn their own bikes from FreeWheels donated stock.
In week one, participants learn basic repair and maintenance by working on a bicycle that will be given to a younger child (who is too young to get into the repair aspect).
In week two, participants sharpen their repair and maintenance skills by working on a bicycle that they get to keep for themselves. They create repair tickets and complete repairs just like the mechanics in an actual bike shop. (Ben mentioned that the donated bikes often end up "better than new" after the kids have completed their repair work.)
Finally, in week three, participants use their newly acquired bikes to take part in "driver's ed". They finish their training by taking a written "Traffic Skills 101" test and then completing a test ride with a FreeWheels instructor.
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| Even the youngest attendees got instructions from volunteers on how to be safe cyclists at the May 18th event. |
You can support FreeWheels for Kids by donating bikes, donating money and/or volunteering your time. See the Donate page of their web site for more details.
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| The May 18 event featured lively music, tasty food & great people. How could it get any better? |
In addition to Earn a Bike and B.L.A.S.T., check the FreeWheels for Kids web site or Facebook page for more details on these upcoming events:
- June 30 - Tour of Lawrence Bike Drive
- July 12 - Bike Drive and Safety Demonstrations at Mission Artwalk
- August 17 - Cathedral Criterium at Waterway Park
Many thanks to Ben and his organization for making a positive difference in our city every day!
~ Brian
bmckiernan@wycokck.org
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