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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (March 20, 2015)
PAGE B6, KEIZERTIMES, MARCH 20, 2015 Changing the world two wheels at a time By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Christopher Hensley leads me into a 20-by-16 basement fi lled with bikes. Bikes hang- ing. Bikes standing. Bikes up- side down on repair mounts. Bike frames in piles, nothing of value left on them. White tags signal bikes that have been claimed by current volunteers at Salem’s North- west Hub who are working off the cost. The Hub expanded so quickly, this second room – twice the size of the fi rst – was claimed for the non-profi t sup- plying low-cost bikes and bike repair. “If the bike has been parked on, we’ll take it in and strip it for parts,” Hensley says. Hens- ley has volunteered with the program nearly since its incep- tion and is something of an evangelist for pedal power and Hub itself. Northwest Hub started as a outreach project by Kirk Sey- fert, one of the head pastors at Evergreen Church of Salem at the corner of Cottage Street Northeast and D Street North- east in Salem. “We had some members of the church who found work on swing shifts or night shifts and they needed transportation because the buses didn’t work for their schedule,” Seyfert said. As a former cycling com- petitor, Seyfert knew the bene- fi ts of riding and had an inkling for getting some of his congre- gation back on their way to self-suffi ciency. He’d fi nd them bicycles. Seyfert said the demand for the service was immediately evident, particularly when it came to the homeless popula- tion. However, it wasn’t long before he made contact with the De Muniz Resource Cen- ter, which handles re-entry is- sues for formerly incarcerated individuals. “A parolee’s No. 1 issue for getting back on their feet is transportation,” Seyfert said. “Transportation is really the issue for the most vulnerable people in our community.” While getting people mov- ing – within the church and outside of it – was the fi rst goal, Seyfert wanted to make bike repair education an integral part of the program. For that, he tapped Aaron Ryals. “Racing is such a small por- tion of the population that could benefi t from a bicycle. If you have $500 and want to race, that’s one thing. If you’ve got $50 and need to get to work, you may not know what to do,” Ryals said. “One of our goals is to close that gap.” Ryals once worked at a bike shop near Salem’s Union Gos- pel Mission and tried to offer community education classes as part of the services of the shop, but said it simply wasn’t feasible. “The classic business model for a brick-and-mortar shop doesn’t have an easy way to make community education part of it. We tried it and we couldn’t make it work with the restraints of the business,” Ry- als said. That didn’t mean commu- nity need wasn’t there. When the Hub started offering classes last winter, more than two doz- KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald Aaron Ryals and Kirk Seyfert at work in the Hub shop at Evergreen Church of Salem. en people would line up in the cold to take part. “The class Aaron teaches is impeccable. He covers bike re- pair to nut, bolt and bearing. It doesn’t matter if it has 12 wheels or one,” Hensley said. By taking the class, and vol- unteering at the center, partici- pants can ”earn” a refurbished bike. One hour of volunteer work is worth $20 toward the cost of the bike. “Last year, we put 220 bikes out on the road for clients and volunteers,” Seyfert said. Hub provides tools for on- site work or clients are welcome to bring their own. With help from other churches, Hub has two fully-stocked workrooms, but it’s bulging at the seams. Seyfert is in negotiations for a dedicated space for the proj- ect. Still, each month, the non- profi t spends about $1,000 on consumables like tubes, cables and rubber. It recoups some of the money by selling higher- end refurbs through Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore in Salem, those even come with a limited maintenance and adjustment warranty. While each bike is putting someone back on the road, Ask Mr. Trash Q. Is it true that I can put all food waste into the big green Mixed Organics cart? No Job Too Big or Too Small A. It’s true! 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He’s since landed a job,” Seyfert said. Seyfert is eager for a dedi- cated space not only to rescue more bikes from the landfi lls, but because it could create job opportunities. “If we can take this to the next level, maybe we create those jobs,” Seyfurt said. In the meantime, the pro- gram would benefi t from fi nancial donations. Seyfert would also rather see bikes donated to Hub rather than go into the landfi ll even if it means tighter quarters. Hensley got his start at Hub turning wrenches himself, but hung around so long he’s in something of a volunteer su- pervisor while others apply the elbow grease. He’s seen and experienced the transfor- mation the program can pro- vide. “We have access to the knowledge. We’ll give it to anybody who is willing to listen and learn. You can take some who is 60 and put them on a bike and they’ll feel 40 again,” Hensley said. “It’s about getting people mobile so they can make it to medical ap- pointments, see family … get to work. 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