Erik Johnson first began volunteering with BWorks in 2018. After taking a break for a few years, he returned in the summer of 2025 after noticing that BWorks had started offering classes in his home state, Illinois. While he had previously focused on shop work, getting involved with the classes quickly became his favorite part of volunteering.
Erik says he was originally drawn to BWorks because he wanted to be a part of something bigger than himself. As he explored volunteer opportunities, BWorks stood out by bringing together several of his passions: bikes, computers, and teaching.
Today, Erik primarily volunteers by helping teach classes, where he enjoys working directly with students. Like many other volunteers, he has also gone the extra mile by helping with the buildout of BWorks’ new soon-to-be home at South Grand. Additionally, he’s looking forward to taking on an even larger role as a member of the BWorks board of directors during the next term.
When asked about his favorite memories as a volunteer, he mentioned a particular moment from a class taught in Hartford, Illinois, with Programs Director Evie Hemphill.
“One of the students and her grandparent gave us handwritten notes thanking us for the class and telling us what it meant to her,” Erik said. Moments like these are what make volunteering at BWorks so rewarding.
One of Erik Johnson’s most recent volunteer efforts with BWorks involved co-leading a six-week Earn-A-Bike class headquartered at Hartford Public Library in Illinois. Riding-practice days involved a lot of great trail riding along the MCT Confluence Trail for this Spring 2026 group in addition to neighborhood- and lot-based drills.
Another favorite part of volunteering for Erik happens after the work is done. He enjoys the evenings when volunteers and staff stay after the shop closes to relax, share stories, and get to know one another. Those conversations have allowed him to build meaningful connections with the people who make BWorks such a special community.
Volunteering has also had a significant impact on Erik personally. After spending time working remotely for a large technology company, BWorks provided an outlet that had been missing from his daily life. Working alongside fellow volunteers, connecting with students, and contributing to the organization’s mission has given him a renewed sense of purpose and fulfillment.
In recent years, BWorks programs have also reached various Illinois schools, including Lincoln Middle School in Edwardsville, Illinois. Erik (at the far back in this picture) provided critical mechanical support and riding encouragement throughout this six-week series, which was made possible through an ACT (MCT) Community Action Grant.
If Erik could bike anywhere in the world, his first answer is “everywhere.” He hopes to someday ride across the United States and eventually travel to Europe to bike the Camino de Santiago. When it comes time for retirement, he plans to spend even more time embarking on long-distance bike touring adventures.
As Erik looks ahead to serving on BWorks’ board of directors, he’s excited to learn more about the organization and continue supporting its mission in new ways. We’re so thankful for Erik’s dedication and enthusiasm, and we’re excited to see the impact he’ll continue to make as part of the BWorks community!
Eva Carrasquillo-Wilkinson was only about two hours into her very first day of a summer internship with St. Louis BWorks when she found herself surrounded by Earn-A-Bike students meeting their individually chosen, newly refurbished bikes for the very first time. That first day of her 2026 Pershing Fellowship also involved finding herself on a bike for the first time in a long while, as she jumped into riding-practice drills right alongside the kids as part of her BWorks orientation.
“At this point, I probably knew less about bikes than the students,” Eva recalls of those first few hours, which threw her directly into Day 4 of a weekslong Earn-A-Bike series at Little Creek Nature Area in north St. Louis County, working with a group of students in the Ferguson-Florissant School District.
“After seeing how ecstatic the kids were about finally being able to test out the new bikes that would officially be theirs soon, I knew I was in for a very rewarding summer.”
Partway through an Earn-A-Bike graduation at Chain of Rocks Bridge on June 25, Eva (at left) and BWorks students take time to check out the amazing views of the Mississippi River and St. Louis along the bike and pedestrian bridge.
Eva, a rising senior in psychology and children’s studies at Wash U, is BWorks’ fourth Pershing Fellow in four years, part of a cohort of St. Louis-area college students selected each summer from Harris-Stowe, SLU, UMSL and Wash U for a paid internship in partnership with a local nonprofit organization. Each fellow is tasked with contributing significantly to identified needs within the organization, while also gaining an understanding of nonprofit leadership, connecting with and serving others, and developing a deeper appreciation of St. Louis.
The fellows also have a real stake in selecting which organization they are paired with, and for Eva, BWorks stood out for several reasons.
“When I received a catalog of 30-plus St. Louis nonprofit organizations to consider working for this summer, I was studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, where nearly 50% of people bike to school and work every day,” Eva says.
She was falling in love with that city’s commitment to sustainable, active transportation at the same time that she was considering what was next.
“I came across BWorks’ programs and their mission,” Eva explains, “and I was excited by the important work they were doing to encourage kids to ride while also inspiring confidence, teamwork, and problem-solving through experiential learning.”
Working with kids has always come naturally to Eva, whose studies and career ambitions reflect those talents. Serving as an assistant Earn-A-Bike, Learn-To-Ride and Earn-A-Computer teacher for BWorks has proved an excellent fit — Eva brings great experience in previous roles providing behavioral support to children with autism and serving as a practicum student in an international elementary school.
But just like she found on her first day with BWorks nearly two months ago, there’s still lots to learn.
“Before working at BWorks, I had never thought about bikes beyond just riding one in my neighborhood, and I’m probably as far as you can get from a mechanic,” Eva admits. “Learning the parts of a bike, how to make different repairs, and bike safety, while also trying to help kids learn those same skills, has pushed me outside of my comfort zone. It has required me to ask questions, be honest with myself about what I do and don’t know, and become comfortable learning alongside the students.”
That’s a common experience for many members of the BWorks village, and Eva’s contributions both in a wide variety of youth classes this summer and on other organizational fronts have her interacting with all sorts of them. In addition to BWorks staff, volunteers, students and parents, Eva is connecting with a variety of community partners as her summer duties bring her from place to place around the St. Louis region.
“Before starting my internship, I had no idea the extent to which BWorks intentionally brought its programs into different communities instead of only hosting classes on-site,” she says. “Seeing BWorks adapt its programming to meet the needs and schedules of different schools and organizations has shown me how important community partnerships are for increasing access and creating an even greater impact. Additionally, it has helped me appreciate how much behind-the-scenes relationship building goes into running a successful nonprofit.”
But Eva hasn’t been content to merely observe these things; she’s jumped in to help the organizational team continue imagining and thoughtfully strategizing toward what’s ahead, particularly as work continues on BWorks soon-to-be new home at Grand and Flora in St. Louis’ vibrant Shaw neighborhood.
Projects have ranged from mapping the location of every class so far in 2026 and drafting a survey for parents and caregivers to gauge the long-term impact of BWorks programs on their children to conducting interviews and updating school and caregiver communication pieces.
There’s no contest, though, when it comes to deciding on her favorite part of the internship. It’s the youth.
Eva pauses for a celebratory graduation photo with July 2026 Learn-To-Ride graduates on a recent Saturday afternoon. She spent four Saturday afternoons this summer working with fellow BWorks teacher Chad and this group of brand-new riders, who each made huge strides on two wheels.
“In my view, the magic of BWorks comes from the pure joy, confidence, and learning that kids show during our classes,” Eva says. “There’s something really special about that moment when you finally believe you can do something.”
One such moment came a couple weeks ago when Eva got to witness one of her BWorks students independently pedal on two wheels for the very first time in his life. Part of a summer camp with Firm Foundation Tutoring in U. City, this particular BWorks Earn-A-Bike cohort included 11 kids who already knew how to ride a bike and, as it turned out when the bikes arrived several weeks into the course, one who did not.
Flexing to meet the needs of the moment as every BWorks teaching team is adept at doing, Eva and her fellow BWorks teacher didn’t bat an eye, and neither did the student still learning to ride. As Eva coached him alongside the students already riding, she saw him develop and deploy the kind of determination and resilience that makes BWorks’ mission even clearer to Eva. She’ll never forget the moment he exclaimed, up on two wheels, “I can do it! I can do it! I’m riding a bike!”
“Seeing that moment was truly heartwarming,” Eva says, “Even afterwards, when he followed with, ‘I’m not riding a bike!’ and fell, he immediately got back up and reassured me, ‘I’m OK, I’m OK!”
After graduating from Wash U, Eva hopes to obtain a graduate degree in school psychology. She’s been passionate about the intersection of psychology and education for a long time.
“I think my summer at BWorks has complemented these interests well,” she says. “Working with students in the BWorks programs has reinforced for me that learning is influenced by confidence, relationships and opportunities outside of the formal classroom. Whether a child is learning how to ride a bike, repair one, or code, I see how much encouragement, patience and hands-on problem-solving help them build skills while also developing self-confidence and perseverance. Those are the same kinds of environments I hope to foster during my career as a school psychologist.”
The Pershing Fellow experience has broadened Eva’s understanding of how community organizations can play a critical role in providing experiences, mentorship and resources beyond what schools alone can do.
“This experience has inspired me to stay involved with nonprofits throughout my career as someone who can help connect schools with community resources so that students have access to the support they need to thrive,” Eva says.
The BWorks team is fortunate to have been paired with Eva this summer, and will certainly be cheering her on as she looks toward her next chapter!
It’s been a week of memorable moments. Let’s recount just a few…
On Monday, we celebrated the launch of a great new Earn-A-Bike partnership with Ferguson-Florissant. On Tuesday we started the morning with a wonderful email from a Learn-To-Ride parent that read in part, “My son, [___], got a bike for his third birthday. He fell the very first time and refused to touch a bike again for the next five years! I am so thankful that BWorks offers these lessons for kids who haven’t learned yet. … He left week four feeling confident on a bike. He has biked for hours every day since, including five miles and seven miles trail rides!” We loved hearing that so much. And then we met six more brand-new LTR students up at St. Vincent Park later that day!
Wednesday proved an especially productive day for our mechanical team, with both the bike and computer refurbishment teams cranking out machines for soon-to-be youth graduates. Then Thursday we continued our work with Earn-A-Computer and Earn-A-Bike students on both sides of the bi-state, while other volunteers and staff pushed forward on multiple fronts back at the Soulard shop. We’re wrapping up the week today (Saturday) with a Learn-To-Ride graduation day at the Bellefontaine Rec Center and the launch of our latest Granite City Earn-A-Bike cohort, hosted by Six Mile Regional Library District.
We’re very grateful to all the people and organizations who make all of this and more possible each week, from our donors and staff and volunteers, to intrepid caregivers and hosting locations, to critical supporters of specific class cohorts, including both @Great Rivers Greenway and the Agency for Community Transit (MCT) currently. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
Dreaming about a #bikebus for your school? St. Louis BWorks can help!
“Can we please do this every day?” The question we hear time and time again from young local cyclists during bike-to-school days has only grown louder and more urgent for the BWorks team in recent years. And that’s prompting us to offer the following answers to some related questions we are hearing more often as well — from caring adults eager to make big things happen for children in our shared community.
Take a read! Got a #bikebus question we didn’t answer below? Email evie@bworks.org. We look forward to serving as a resource for those in the St. Louis area who are passionate about making active transportation possible, fun and safe for local kids!
What IS a bike bus?
Each bike bus is part of a growing international children’s active transportation movement that empowers kids to get to and from school in an active, joyful, sustainable form — using their very own energy! And just like school buses have bus drivers, bike buses also have bus drivers, so to speak — crews of dedicated adult helpers who work closely with school champions to plan and execute the rides.
Can you point me to some past examples?
Yes! Here in the bi-state region, the City of Edwardsville has been an early adopter, with community volunteers organizing multi-week bike buses at three local elementary schools every fall and spring. In St. Louis City, St. Louis Public Schools’ Betty Wheeler Junior Classical Academy launched its first bike bus in collaboration with BWorks in April 2025, and Soulard School continues to grow its semesterly effort, which regularly draws upwards of 100 participants. BWorks also partners with City Garden Montessori School on a roundtrip bike bus for three weeks in the fall and in the spring. Here are some recent BWorks-guided bike bus photos.
I’m ready to get started. How can BWorks support our bike bus launch?
Let’s start with a phone call or even a visit to your school about six to eight weeks out from launch, so that we can understand your vision and reasoning for this joyful and challenging undertaking, address any initial concerns, and then help you chart out some next steps to bring your vision to reality.
The latter may include route consultation; assistance with participant and volunteer recruitment and management (e.g. assigning various roles to confirmed volunteers); providing an interactive school assembly focused on keeping our bodies, bikes and community safe to help students remember the bike bus is coming up and create both buzz and safety awareness in advance of the first event; a “quick fix” event in the days leading up to the bike bus launch, with BWorks mechanics on hand for about two hours to provide free drop-in repairs for student bikes; loaner supplies such as long cable locks to keep bikes safe during school day; and more.
Long story short: Get in touch with us! Email info@bworks.org to get the conversation going. We can’t wait to ride to school with you.
