Kids at Edmonds Elementary School are learning to change tubes, tighten brakes and adjust gears in an after-school program aimed at getting more kids excited about bikes.
For four years, Edmonds community school coordinatorMischa Greenwood, an avid mountain biker and North Vancouver resident, who has worked in south east Burnaby schools for eight years, has marshalled cycling connections in North Van to get donated bikes and bike-fixing skills into the hands of Edmonds students.
Every May and June, a group of kids in grades 5 to 7 gather in the school’s community room to tinker on donated bikes.
“They work on them and then get to keep them and take them home,” Greenwood said.
The bikes are collected by Dave McInnes, the owner of North Van’s Bicycle Hub, and other North Van cycling enthusiasts, like Annelise Muller – and the students are taught bike maintenance by Jeff Bryson, the owner of North Van’s The Bikeroom, who volunteers once a week for six weeks each time the program runs.
“Things just kind of fell into place,” said Greenwood of the people who’ve gotten on board. “Dave was looking at doing community outreach and Jeff thought this would be a good way for him to give back to the community.”
Greenwood said the Edmonds program got its start after the founder of the community bike fair at Second Street Community School, Tammy Ozero, approached him about moving the fair to Edmonds.
“I thought it might be nice to run an after-school program that would tie in with that and provide a means to get kids excited about bikes and get kids excited about the bike fair,” he said.
The bike fair, featuring info booths, prizes, a professional mountain bike show, a free bike repair station, a bike course, a concession and more, is set for June 10 on the Edmonds sports field.
Greenwood said the fair and the bicycle maintenance program have given him a chance to promote an activity he is passionate about and that has helped him get around, stay healthy and connect with other people.
“For our families, all of those benefits can be easily accessed once they have a bicycle, and some do, and some require the donation, and the donations have really helped,” Greenwood said. “Many of our families don’t have cars and this is a good way for them to get around and to be with their friends and also, hopefully over the course of their lives, it’ll be sort of a foundation for them in terms of being active.”
And teaching kids to fix and maintain their own bikes could spark other interests as well, he said.
“They get grease on their hands and use tools,” he said. “It’s a good introduction for them if they’re looking at going into any trades in the future as well.”
