Lets talk about you and me, lets talk about all the good things that this van could be…
All summer long, our youth rode in a fixed-window van with no ac and minimally functioning air movement - like a greenhouse on wheels. While we know this is a luxury most modern vehicles have, and know that time spent outdoors means dealing with temperature changes and other environmental conditions, we can’t help but make the connection between the arguments, fights, attitude fluctuations, and general demeanor of our youth and the length of a commute in the van in hot months. They certainly aren’t shy about telling us, either. We know it doesn’t make things anything easier - and while we’re a pretty handy and DIY crew here, saddling up to pay for recent bigger repairs to our 22 year old van has been hard to swallow.
Last week, as we were finishing up our final round of programs for the day and starting to drive youth back to their homes, we heard a horrible KLUNK from under the van. We jumped out, checked all suspension, linkages and quickly-visible potential problems, and when nothing solvable presented itself directly, we made haste to swap vehicles before driving everyone home. Safety is priority.
We are awaiting a quote and diagnosis from our regular mechanic, but the fact of the matter is that at each annual inspection and emergency repair, we are told “this is IT for the van, it’s limping by.” We know it. We can SMELL it. Our youth perceive it - and that’s a big deal.
We’ve been applying for grants for the last many months, hoping something will land that will allow us to make plans for a van purchase. It isn’t a glamorous project, and it can be less appealing to donate a large sum of money that goes to purchase a vehicle instead of funding a fun project. To us, though, our vehicles are just as integral as having an additional staff member.
Providing consistent programming is paramount for our organization. Our relationships have been built by showing up for our youth day by day, by exercising clear boundaries and working through conflict. The road is always rough with youth growing up in an environment where they experience resource guarding and food insecurity, where they can easily access drugs and guns, and violent crime rates are high. It is imperative that we meet youth on their level, in their vulnerable spaces: their homes.
Our ability to connect youth to cycling exists because of a handful of resources: the vehicles we use to transport youth and bicycles, our headquarters where we store and maintain our equipment, our dedicated and patient staff (we’re blushing), our creative and diverse communities of supporters, and our large fleet of bicycles and related equipment. Our headquarters not only acts as our bicycle work space, but doubles as a safe space for youth to unwind, study, work on their own bicycles, and escape the chaos of daily life in the projects.
Our vehicles provide safe transportation for youth, but they are rapidly showing their age. We currently utilize a 1993 diesel Bread Delivery truck that has been converted to passenger and bicycle storage space, and a 2002 transport van and trailer for connecting larger groups of teens to equipment. We have reached a point where the bill for repair and maintenance of our daily driver, the Van, has become unreasonable compared to it’s value. We’ve honestly gone well past that point. While we continue to work through regular fundraising plans for general operational costs, we are actively seeking grant funding that would specifically allow us to purchase a newer transport van. Nothing has landed.
Our vehicles are our lifeline to youth, and allow us to deliver the connections and experiences we work so hard to provide. We need your help!
As the year comes to an end, we’re asking for your help with a massive undertaking. It feels daunting to us to think about making such a large purchase, and honestly - feels way out of scope. We’re hoping that with the partnership in our community, their employers and foundations, their connections - we’ll find ourselves in a position to fund this giant project.
You can head to our campaign on GiveButter by clicking the button below, or donate directly through the widget at the bottom of the page, where you can follow along with our progress.
As always, we are so grateful for the support and help from our community. Share widely!