#ReBicycle, and everything else…

So much has happened in the last couple of months and just this week I’m discovering that it hasn’t been shared much on the blog. Was our last post REALLY in August?

We are total slackers and offer our apologies.

This is where we are, give or take:

We have been so blessed to be supported within our communities. As time moves on, we continue to enjoy the support of volunteers and donors who provide the burritos and the love to enable us to serve in this way! We discover new volunteers and interested groups monthly, so keep spreading that word!

We are close to getting our application finalized for 501(c)(3) status!! Our attorneys are ready to pull the trigger as soon as we iron out the remaining few details, so that’s awesome! This application is not cheap, so we appreciate the generosity of folks that have made this possible!

#ReBicycle is off and running! We have delivered now 5 bikes to folks in our community. These are folks who have given their time and energy to help out those who have helped them out, often by helping to improve services or facilities that will benefit themselves and their neighbors. As you know, the bikes are earned through providing 10 hours of volunteer service in our community.

Our partner agencies, providing the service opportunities, so far have included Harmony House, First Steps, and the Huntington City Mission.

We hold a monthly ReBicycle sidewalk outreach as well, usually around the 3rd or so Thursday of the month. Volunteers descend on Harmony House laden with tools, parts, work stands and operate by the mantra of “If we have the tools, parts, and knowledge, we’ll fix it for free.” We’ve held three of these events and they’re awesome to be a part of. They have been host to the donating of ReBicycle bikes to volunteers, repairing of bikes for our community, and meeting and spending time with many, many great people. Last time, we met J., a guy who came along while we were serving and was intrigued with our operation as we worked on his girlfriend’s bike. Before we knew it, he had grabbed our tools and gotten to work with us. Over an hour later, J. was still with us talking about the next time he could come serve with us again. Good stuff.

We will also be opening our shop soon(?)! We hope that within the next two-three weeks we can start moving in and renovating the space. The ReBicycle Shop will be our base of operations for handling donations of bicycles and more, working on bicycles with some great volunteers, and serving as an outpost for outreach in the community. The crew at Harmony House have been such great supporters of the Burrito Riders, including providing the space that we will inhabit.

That’s it for right now, but look for more soon. And contribute! Want to share an experience you’ve had with the Burrito Riders? Tell us what you’d like to say!

We’re riding this weekend in Huntington, join us!

Where is ReBicycle right now? In this storage locker, as well as several garages around town…