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! All food wastes may now be combined with yard debris! Include
these: Meats, Dairy, Bones/Shells, Breads/Grains, Fruits, Vegetables,
Coffee-Tea Bags/Filters, Food-Soiled Paper Napkins/Towels, Cardboard
Pizza Boxes, Grass Clippings, Yard Pruning’s, Leaves, Pine Needles,
Pumpkins and Christmas Trees. Layer the food waste with yard debris in
the big green Mixed Organics cart for bi-weekly collection in Keizer. Call us
today for more information on this and other great services in Keizer!
• Kitchens & Baths
• Doors & Windows
• Decks & Fences
• Patio & Deck Covers
©1986
• Additions & Repairs
• Dry Rot Repairs
• Flooring & Countertops
• Roofi ng & Siding
Serving Keizer for Nearly 50 years!
503.393.2875
remodelkeizer.com
CCB#155626
mobility is becoming a means
to a different end.
“I had one of our clients
stop by who told me just the
confi dence he gained by vol-
unteering was a catalyst for
seeking employment after giv-
ing up. It changing his perspec-
tive. 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. They have legs again
and can go make the world a
better place.”
LOREN'S
VA L L E Y
SANITATION & RECYCLING SERVICE, INC.
RECYCLING & DISPOSAL, INC.
503.393.2262
10% OFF
ANY WEATHERTECH
ACCESSORY
$99 99
503.585.4300
$35
10% OFF
SYNTHETIC
OIL CHANGE
NERF BARS FOR ALL
MAKES & MODELS
(up to 5qt of Dexos 5-30)
(some restrictions may apply)
$5 OFF
$59 95
A/C SERVICE
ALL FLOOR MATS
ALIGNMENT
(up to 1 lb freon R134)
(limited to stock on hand)
(factory adjustments only)
FREE LITTLE TREE AIR FRESHENER
(with any purchase)
IF YOUR CAR
IS NOT A STAR,
WE HAVE SEVERAL
THAT ARE
HUNDREDS OF QUALITY
PRE-OWNED VEHICLES
OUR SERVICE & PARTS
DEPARTMENTS NOW
OFFER FINANCING
SALES
SERVICE
PARTS
2908 MARKET ST NE - SALEM
SIAMAKS.COM
1-844-SIAMAKS
*Some makes and models may be higher priced. MUST PRESENT THIS AD TO RECEIVE SPECIALS LISTED HERE.