Co-op chained to community

Oberlin's Bicycle Co-op recently received funding from the Stocker Foundation to assist in the development of a community outreach program. After a year of planning, the Co-op will begin working on a pilot for the project. The pilot will involve the Oberlin Boys and Girls Club and will serve as a rehearsal for a summer program for club members and, possibly, Oberlin high school students. Drawing from the knowledge of the Co-op's staff and volunteers, Oberlin youth will be given the opportunity to learn basic bike repair and bike safety as well as experience the independence that comes with self sufficiency.

The $8,000 grant will be used to update the Co-op headquarters, purchase tools and safety equipment and provide resources for a Boys and Girls Club bike outing. A chapter of the national, independent organization, Boys and Girls Club of America, serves as a place where community youth can learn important life skills. The Co-op classes will complement the Club's efforts as well as create a link between Oberlin College and at-risk youth within the community.

James Arnold, director of the Oberlin Boys and Girls Club, thinks the program will be good addition to the many other activities sponsored by the Club: "Some of our kids come from disadvantaged backgrounds and may have bikes that are broken. This provides an opportunity for them to fix their bikes and it teaches them some valuable skills at the same time."

According to Arnold, the Boys and Girls Club Board of Trustees will review the program after a month. If the Board agrees that the classes have been successful, the Club will implement the program into its permanent schedule of activities.

The pilot will also give the Co-op an opportunity to assess its educational approach in an effort to maximize the success of the summer program. According to junior Austin Johnson, a co-op member, the pilot will help program staff learn the best way to organize the classes. Though the pilot will involve younger community members, Austin said, "I would like to see the program get involved with high school kids."

Senior Shira Schlesinger, bike co-op director, sees the program as a way to both help community youth develop a sense of responsibility as well as enlarge the Co-op's environmental vision: "This is the first step in the Bike Co-op's long range plan to expand as a community organization, better serve the needs of the community and facilitate the use of alternative means of transportation."

The grant coincides with the upcoming identification of Oberlin as a Bike Friendly Community on May 14 as well as efforts by the city to establish a cyclist visitors' center and park at the Clark Gasholder Building, located between McDonald's and Missler's Supermarket.