St. Louis BWorks Partners With Bikes For The World

St. Louis BWorks becomes Bikes For The World’s newest partner sending 494 bicycles to support the ongoing project.  To learn more about Bikes for the World, click here.

Photo scavenger hunt on two wheels • $10 per team of two!

Bring your digital camera and come join us on a 2hr long scavenger hunt around St. Louis. Find items on the list and snap a picture to get the related points. (dont forget to clear off your digital cards so we can download and share all the pics)

Examples of what we asked you to find pictures of last time:

• A police officer handcuffing you to a bicycle. 10pts
• A bride in full wedding gown sitting on a bicycle 10pts
• A public library 2pts
• A local bicycle shop owner 5pts
• Pose with a statue 2pts
• Art-Car 2pts
• Art-Bike 5pts

Afterwords hang out and watch everyone’s photos on one of the three projectors.

+++++++$10 per team of two++++++++

St. Louis Bicycle Works is partnering with the Congregation B’nai Amoona to host a bicycle drive to collect adult and children’s bicycles. Your donations will benefit children and young adults in the St. Louis area by giving them an opportunity to receive a Bike. Bicycle Works provided over 1000 Bikes in 2012 and needs your help to continue our efforts to provide positive outcomes in our community.

Located at 324 South Mason Road, Creve Coeur, MO.

St. Louis Bicycle Works is partnering with the United Hebrew Congregation to host a bicycle drive to collect adult and children’s bicycles. Your donations will benefit children and young adults in the St. Louis area by giving them an opportunity to receive a Bike. Bicycle Works provided over 1000 Bikes in 2012 and needs your help to continue our efforts to provide positive outcomes in our community.

Located at 13788 Conway Road, St. Louis, MO.

Come join us on Saturday, October 13 from 6 to 10 PM at St. Louis Bworks located at 2414 Menard Street in the Soulard area.

This will be a block party and birthday party and all are welcome.  Come along, bring the family, invite a friend.  There will be fun and food for purchase at food trucks from :  L’École Culinaire, Frostbite Gourmet Ice Cream, & Papa Tom’s Fancy Franks.

Join us in this family friendly.

Bworks is also celebrating its first year in our new Soulard location and we would like to thank the local community for its warm welcome.

To volunteer to help during the event, click here to go to the Birthday Party Volunteer Form.

Bworks began in 1988 as St. Louis Bicycle Works and was originally located in the Shaw neighborhood.  For the past 24 years we have  served the kids of the St. Louis area guided by our idea that, “Children – or any young people for that matter – can thrive when they have the opportunity to challenge their abilities in a safe, supportive environment”.  To that end, over the years, we have developed three touchstone programs designed to imerse kids in a specific task that supports learning, enhances group cooperation and builds character through our Earn-A-Bike, Earn-A-Computer & Create-A-Book programs.

You can become apart of our efforts by donating your time or money, donating a bicycle, bike parts or computer, or simply by stopping by Bworks and purchasing a bicycle for yourself or members of your family.  Bworks is a volunteer run 501(c)(3) organization with 2 1/2 paid staff and over 120 regular volunteers.  Your donation or your support through a purchase goes directly into our kids programs.

Help us make a difference for a kid!

Saturday, October 13 • 6 – 10 PM

Position: Programs Administrator

• Administrative and program support to BWorks’ education programs.
• Reports to Executive Director
• Projected hours: Average of 20 hours per week (with potential to grow)
• Pay rate:  Flexible, depending on applicable experience
• Subject to 30 day probation; Quarterly Performance Reviews

Job Description

This is a flexible position to support the needs of BWorks and its educational programs.  While BWorks has made an effort to provide a general description of the duties and tasks of this position, the successful candidate must understand that this is not a comprehensive job description.  Tasks and duties may be modified at any time.

Metrics and Administrative Duties

• Collect metrics from various silos of information including spreadsheets, databases, forms, and participating schools.
• Work with Executive Director to organize metrics into an understandable format.
• Assistance with paperwork relating to volunteer instructors (background checks).
• Coordination of program paperwork.
• Manage participant wait lists and provide input for development of student registration software.
• Assist with programs schedule.

Program Support Duties

• Perform routine inventory for student programs.
• Help recruit students for programs through communication with school administration.
• Act as an assistant instructor in one or more BWorks’ educational programs.
• Make registration and reminder phone calls to program participants.

Miscellaneous Support

• Help maintain organization in the shops at BWorks.
• Help with various BWorks events including materials drives, PR events and other fundraising events.
• Back up assistance in the shop during retail hours.

Qualifications

Potential candidates must possess:

• High school diploma or equivalent;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills;
• Enthusiastic passion to achieve the BWorks mission;
• Flexibility to change direction quickly as required by the operational needs of the BWorks environment;
• Ability to work efficiently and independently with little supervision; and
• Superior attention to detail and strong initiative.

Preference will be given to candidates that also possess the following:

• Bachelor’s degree in Education or English;
• Strong comfort with editing spreadsheets and text documents;
• Prior administrative, customer service, and/or teaching experience; or
• Experience or interest in youth education (ages 6 to 18).

St. Louis BWorks was built on the idea that everyone deserves the chance to be more and to gain the skills they need to pursue their dreams. We believe that “at-risk” children — or any young people for that matter — can thrive when they have the opportunity to challenge their abilities in a safe, supportive environment.

Email Resume to:

Patrick Van Der Tuin
St. Louis Bworks Executive Director

Whole Foods is partnering with St. Louis BicycleWorks, a component of St. Louis Bworks, to host a bicycle drive.

Any type of bicycle or bicycle parts or bicycle related items will be accepted.

All donations support St. Louis Bworks and its 3 kids programs: Earn-A-Bike, Earn-A-Computer, and Create-A-Book.

Click here for a RecycleBicyclePoster-2-8×10.

St. Louis Bworks is a 501(c)(3) organization and will provide a Tax Donation letter for your donations.

The drive will be from 9 AM to 3 PM at 1160 Town and Country Crossing Drive at the corner of Clayton Road and Woods Mill Road.

Location (Google Map link): 1160 Town and Country Crossing Drive

Thanks for your support!

Marion Prison program two years later. Two years ago, Dave Schepers and I started training twelve inmates at a Federal Penitentiary to repair bicycles. Over the course of the last two years, these inmates have refurbished 2025 bicycles to date.

The prisoners have worked diligently to restore the used bikes to a condition that a child would be happy to see. They not only repair the bike, but they put in extra effort into cleaning all the bike parts by polishing the chrome, and generally restoring the bike to as close to “new” as possible. The inmates work in a large room filled with televisions and exercise equipment, surrounded by 20-30 inmates sitting in chairs watching the world go by on TV. The men who work on these bikes have chosen to do something productive rather than working out and watching TV.

What started two years ago as an experiment to increase the number of bikes we could build for the kids at Bicycle Works and other non-profits has evolved into more than we imagined. Early in 2012, during a trip to the prison, one of the inmates pulled us aside. He wanted to let us know that over the course of the eight years he was at the penitentiary, he never felt like he was given a chance to repay society for the crimes he committed. He thanked us for this opportunity and let us know that he was being released. Every time one of the inmates is released from the prison, we have received a similar thank you. Because of the inmates and their dedicated work, our organization has gone from giving away two or three hundred bikes per year to kids, to providing over 1200 bikes per year to a much broader community. Our organization has grown from working with a few non-profits in St. Louis, to helping numerous non-profits across Missouri and Illinois.

Here are the portraits of the “Bicycle Men.” Patrick Van Der Tuin

Executive Director

Recycle Your Old Bicycle • 6:30 AM to 1:00 PM

Express Scripts Visitors Parking Lot, HQ1
at #1 Express Way, St. Louis, MO 63121

Express Scripts supports the St. Louis BicycleWorks Earn-A-Bicycle program for kids by holding a Recycle Your Old Bicycle drive from 6:30 AM to 1:00 PM at the Visitors Parking Lot at HQ1.

Click here for a Flyer as a PDF file.

The Lake Saint Louis Police Department is partnering with BicycleWorks to take those old bicycles off your hands!  The bike drive will take place on Saturday, July 14, 2012 from 8:00 a.m. until noon at the Lake Saint Louis Farmers and Artists Market.  The market is located on the south lots of The Meadows shopping center at Highway 40 & Lake Saint Louis Blvd.

Members of the police department’s bike patrol unit will be on hand to assist BicycleWorks with the collection of bicycles of any style and in any condition.  In addition, bicycle parts will be accepted.  Bike patrol officers will distribute bicycle safety information during the event.

The old bikes, or bicycles in need of repair, will be reconditioned or rebuilt by BicycleWorks (www.bworks.org).  They will eventually find their way to deserving children, who may not be able to afford to purchase a bicycle on their own, but have the opportunity to earn one through various programs and projects.

Contact:

Chief Michael T. Force or Officer Susan Ochs at (636) 625-8018