COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL NOVEMBER 8, 2017
3A
Free ride: Councilman donates bikes Kaiser-Permanente
Councilman Bob Ehler fixes and
joins
forces
with
T
donates bikes but his inventory
is running low.
PeaceHealth
here’s an Italian racing bike that’s
waiting for a chain. In the corner,
cmay@cgsentinel.com
1970s-style cruisers lay waiting for fi nal
repairs. There’s a Mexican Vista – made
between 1968 and 1974 – hanging from the rafter. It’s the type of
bike Bob Ehler said he would have ridden in high school.
“I’ve been doing it for about two and a half, three years,” Ehler
– a city councilman and bike repair philanthropist, said of his foray
into the repair-donate-bike business.
“I saw a lady on a Facebook group who was going to give away a
bike but it had to be fi xed,” he said. “And I thought, ‘I can do that.
I’ve been fi xing bikes since I was a kid.’ So, I volunteered and the
next thing I know, people were giving me bikes.”
The Facebook group was Pay it Forward, a community page
that operates by allowing members to post for things they need:
clothes, baby formula, bicycles. Other members can than donate
to Pay it Forward and if administrators fi nd a match between a re-
quest and donation, they pair the two. The operation used to in-
clude a warehouse on administration’s private property but due to
the overwhelming inventory and lack of space, the warehouse has
since closed and members are required to trade among themselves
via the Facebook group.
Ehler still utilizes the site and currently, has a waiting list.
He takes requests from residents who are in need of a bicycle,
goes through his donation pile, fi xes a bike that matches the request
and donates the bike.
“It started with a lot of kid bikes,” he said. “The small BMX bikes
that the boys ride. But now you have parents saying they want to
ride with their kids too but they need a bike. So, 90 percent of the
bikes now are for adults or older kids.”
He currently has a fi ve-page waiting list.
Ehler, who was elected to the city council during the last election
cycle, pays for the repairs out of his own pocket. A cost he estimates
at $20 to $25 per bicycle.
“I’ve been doing it long enough that I know what everything
costs. I know a chain is this much, a cable is this much, handgrips
are this much,” he said of the three most frequently replaced parts.
“Doing it when I’m on disability can be hard.”
There is a pile of bikes leaning against the wooden fence that
separates Ehler’s outdoor shop from the street waiting for repairs,
another on a stand that’s ready to go minus a brake cable. “I just
can’t afford the parts for those right now,” he said.
He’s not letting fi nances halt his operation, though.
Ehler is in the market for more bikes to repair to trim his waitlist.
“The bikes I need most right now are 24” girl bikes,” he said. He
is also looking for three-wheelers and cruisers.
Ehler takes donations in a variety of ways. Interested individuals
can contact him via the Pay it Forward Facebook group or contact
city hall for his personal phone number.
“Sometimes,” he said, “I’ll come outside and there will be bikes
leaning up against my fence that people just drop off to be donated.”
By Caitlyn May
PHOTO BY CAITLYN MAY/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Bob Ehler fi xes and donates bikes for residents in need but says his supply
isn't keeping up with the demand.
Great Days reveal set and open
to the public
Great Days Early Education Center was selected
for an "extreme makeover" earlier this month. The
building will be getting a new parking lot, sign,
fl ooring, etc.
The majority of the work is set to take place on
November 10 and the public is invited to take part in
the reveal at 4 p.m.
Great Days is located at 403 N. River Road.
For details about the events that led up to the make-
over, check out the complete story at cgsentinel.com
and pick up the November 15 issue to see the end
result.
Kaiser Permanente North-
west and PeaceHealth will col-
laborate to address community
health needs and increase access
to care in Lane County.
The two organizations are
currently developing a jointly
funded community health initia-
tive to address a number of ar-
eas identifi ed in the Lane Coun-
ty Health Needs Assessment.
The focus areas selected include
transitional and recuperative
housing, access to dental care
for people in need, strengthen-
ing school-based health centers,
and workforce development
efforts to support community
health workers.
In addition, PeaceHealth and
Kaiser Permanente have agreed
to collaborate on health care
delivery and coverage in Lane
County.
"PeaceHealth and Kaiser Per-
manente share a deeply held
commitment not only to meet
the immediate health care needs
of our patients and communities
we collectively serve, but also
to practice preventive health
-- moving upstream to address
the unique and specifi c social
determinants of health that are
barriers to wellness," said Rand
O'Leary, chief executive of
PeaceHealth's Oregon network.
"Together, PeaceHealth and
Kaiser Permanente, working
strategically with other com-
munity leaders, can improve the
health of Lane County's most
vulnerable citizens and keep
care local," said Janet O'Hol-
laren, chief operating offi cer,
Northwest, Kaiser Foundation
Health Plan and Hospitals.
"Our 126-year heritage at
PeaceHealth is rooted in caring
for the most vulnerable," said
David Duffey, DO, vice pres-
ident and medical director of
PeaceHealth Medical Group in
Oregon. "We're excited to work
together with Kaiser Permanen-
te to best serve the health and
well-being of all Lane County
residents."
"Permanente Medicine is
all about collaboration, and
learning and sharing of evi-
dence-based best practices, with
the patient at the core of every-
thing we do. We look forward to
our partnerships in Lane Coun-
ty doing just that!" said Imelda
Dacones, MD, president and
CEO, Northwest Permanente,
P.C.
Community health initiatives
supporting Lane County non-
profi ts will be announced in De-
cember.
Kaiser Permanente has a med-
ical offi ce building and dental
offi ce in Lane County. Current
members in Lane County in-
clude dental members and med-
ical members with out-of-area
coverage. Kaiser Permanente is
also providing care to Medic-
aid members through Trillium
Community Health Plan.
PeaceHealth offers a number
of medical services in Oregon,
including four medical centers
located in Eugene, Springfi eld,
Cottage Grove and Florence.
LORANE NEWS
No school this Thursday, November 9 for grading day nor on Friday, November 10 for Veterans
Day "observed." Rural Art Movie night is this Saturday, November 11 at Lorane Grange. Enjoy
delicious homemade soups and good company at 6 p.m. Then go into the main hall for Catch-
phrase Trivia Challenges and door prizes. The fi lm showing is," The Fantastic Mr. Fox." The
Ukulele group will preform at the December movie night.
Sunday, November 12: Lorane Grange's Thanksgiving Dinner hosted by Lorane Christian
Church. Dinner is 5:30 p.m. They are having a canned food drive for the food pantry, do be sure
to bring something. Due to the many events in November and December, there will be no dinner
and bingo evenings st the Grange until January. See everyone then.
ill out the form below to have your organization's
holiday bazaar included in the bazaar listing in the Cottage
Grove Sentinel each Wednesday during the holidays. Cost for this
service is $43.00 for a 1x3 advertisement, 50 words or less. Please
enclose check or money order if mailing in this listing.
Call us at 541-942-3325 for more information.
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