MAY 14, 2009 ISSUE
AmeriCorps Benefit Bike Drive Now Until May 22
Members of AmeriCorps Project Conserve and AmeriCorps Promise have arranged to hold a Bike Drive from now through May 22 to benefit the Western Youth Network and Mountain Alliance.
Statewide AmeriCorps is holding a Drive for Service during May, collecting everything from canned goods to clothing to bicycles. The idea for the bike drive was formed around Project Conserve’s ideals of preservation and appreciation of the outdoors in Western North Carolina. By providing the youth of Boone with a way to get outdoors and away from the television and computer, the hope is they can build a greater appreciation for the High Country and its rich natural resources. This idea blended nicely with the vision of the AmeriCorps Promise volunteer who, working with the Western Youth Network, was trying to find a way to bring more bikes to their program. Both Mountain Alliance and the Western Youth Network (WYN) have existing after school programs that can benefit from supplemental bikes.
With its Earn a Bike program, WYN hopes to have their kids clean, tune-up and earn the right to keep the donated cycles. WYN is also a chapter of the national program Trips for Kids. Founded in California, this goal of ‘Trips for Kids’ is to bring children from varied and possibly challenging backgrounds together with bikes to provide a positive outlet where one might not have originally existed.
Mountain Alliance Executive Director Todd Nolt is also looking forward to the outcome of this drive.
“It is amazing how many kids don’t have bikes, that with one, would perhaps get outside more, and sit less,” he said.
Mountain Alliance holds the belief, that given the chance, the children of today can develop into leaders of tomorrow. Their program works with youth to help them develop a sense of self and a sense of place so that they can grow as leaders through service, adventure and community. The donated bikes can add to these programs and get kids of all ages outside and cycling.
For more information, click to www.mountainalliance.org and www.westernyouthnetwork.org.
If you are interested in making a donation, bring your gently used bicycles to the High Country Conservancy office, located at 290 Queen Street in downtown Boone. Donations are accepted weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. from now until May 22.
For questions, contact Anna Chilton at 828-264-2511 or Anna Baker at 828-264-5174.
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