Laurie's annual Bikes Together findraiser

I love Bikes Together and all it stands for! Our mission at Bikes Together is: to equitably increase access to bikes and bike education in our Denver Metro community.

l been volunteering at Bikes together since 2017. I started volunteering to increase my bike mechanic skills but soon found a whole new reason for volunteering at the bike shop. I usually volunteer on Tuesdays and Saturdays. On Tuesdays I work with Mac, the program lead, and other volunteers to prepare donated bikes to give away to various community member groups that have a need for a newly refurbished bikes. I have met several of the people who get the bikes and they are so grateful to have a new sense of independence in transportation and freedom in mobility in their community. Occasionally on Tuesdays I have been a part of the distribution days where we give the bikes to the community members. We spend an hour to an hour and a half educating participants about their new bike and how to take care of it. With each bike, through monetary donations we are able to supply a new lock, helmet and lights for each bike (a $250 donation covers the cost of helmets, unlocks and lights for one distro day and a $3,000 donation covers the cost of new helmets u- locks and lights for a year of distribution)!

On Saturdays I work again with Mac, our fabulous program lead and many other amazing volunteers to run 40 minute "fix and learn appointments" (a $50 donations covers the cost of one of these appointments). Community members sign up for 40 minute appointments and work with volunteer mechanics. As a volunteer mechanic we teach the community member how to troubleshoot their bike then we guide them through the repair. These appointments are "pay what you can appointments". This provides a low cost way for community members to get their bikes fixed and continue to have transportation independence. We typically use recycled parts that we have taken from other donated bikes. We have a few new common parts available that are made possible thought your monetary donations.

Lastly but not least one of the things that Bikes Together provides me personally is a space as a nontraditional female mechanic to feel confident, comfortable, welcome and empowered. This is what keeps me going back to the shop on a weekly basis. In return I try to provide the same environment for community members who come into our shop. Our organization is about so much more than bikes but we provide all of these community services through the vehicle of bikes.

Please consider donating this year to Bikes Together, it is my kind of organization! Bikes Together has so many more services, I have only explained the two I am most involved in. Check out our website to see all of the services we offer in the community! Our goal this year is to raise $30,000 through the Colorado Gives Campaign.