John&Fred ride CHI-NOLA to help biking communities

A nonprofit fundraiser supporting

Working Bikes

Thank you for supporting community bike advocates Working Bikes Chicago and RUBARB NOLA. Tailwinds!

$31,265

raised by 152 people

$25,000 goal

Story

Updates (10)

Day 16 on the road

Update posted 2 years ago

Day 16 ✅

Met some wonderful people in Natchez MS this morning and along the 88-mile ride today into St. Francisville LA, where we ended our day. Frank chatted with us about the history and culture of Natchez while we ate breakfast at Natchez Coffee Co ☕️ and Bubba Iverson showed off his Mississippi State belt and talked with us about our route and journey so far.

Although some of the roads were bumpy and rough today, the scenery was new and exciting…it’s hard not to miss the Natchez Trace Parkway though! Overall, another great day in the books 📚

We also crossed our final state line today entering Louisiana. Feels like another big moment on the trip, and it is the last of 8 states we will have been to this adventure. 2 more days to go!

The Journey

What began as a post-college, pre-work bike spin is now a 25-day father-son 1,900+ mile journey from Chicago to New Orleans on America’s Great River Route. Beyond donating, stay involved but check out the Instagram here….https://instagram.com/schuler_river_route_fundraiser?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

History side-bar: the first part of our route is the I&M Canal trail which was commissioned by Abe Lincoln 1835-1848 and as much as anything else was responsible for Chicago’s growth by connecting trade from the Great Lakes to New Orleans.

About Working Bikes

Working Bikes is a Chicago based Guidestar 2021 Gold Seal of Transparency organization that gives old bikes new life by redistributing them as tools of empowerment in local and global communities. Fred loves to help fix bikes at WB … check it out!

Fundraisers like this, the revenue they make from their store, and volunteer bike mechanics all pitch in to make their donation process possible. 100% of the proceeds from this fundraiser will go to Working Bikes and their donation center.

They reduce the number of bicycles that may enter the waste stream or sit languishing, unused, by giving new life to those vital tools of transportation. Each year, Working Bikes refurbishes several thousand bikes for people who need them to access resources in and around Chicago. They also send twice as many bicycles to global partners who will fix and distribute bikes to empower members of their communities.

For 23 years, Working Bikes has recovered tens of thousands of bikes from Chicago and the Midwest. More than 100,000 bikes have been given new life across the Midwest and the world, empowering tens of thousands of individuals to access resources in their communities. 2019 was a milestone year for Working Bikes, as they broke records in their international and local donation programs. Looking ahead to the next 20 years, they will continue developing partners in their community and around the world, deepen their connections and feedback mechanisms, and of course get as many people on bikes as possible!

More About Programs Run by Working Bikes

International Shipments

Working Bikes ships over 6,500 refurbishable bicycles per year to projects in countries throughout Latin America and Africa including, El Salvador, Guatemala, Tanzania, Malawi, Lesotho, Uganda, Ghana, and many others. For these global donations, we partner with organizations that run bike shop programs, mostly in rural communities. Raw bikes from Chicago are the raw materials for these shops, many of which are managed by an all-women staff. Bikes are used to access educational opportunities, markets, medical services, community resources, as well as for recreation. Population(s) Served: Women and girls & Children and youth.

Cycle of Power and Cycle of Peace

Working Bikes runs two local donation programs, known as Cycle of Power (adults) and Cycle of Peace (kids and youth). We partner with numerous organizations to donate repaired bicycles throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. These organizations include veteran hospitals, health and human service agencies, transitional housing facilities, youth organizations, community centers, and schools. In a typical year, Working Bikes donates between 800-1,000 bicycles to individuals through this program. In addition to a bicycle, adult local donation recipients receive a helmet, u-lock, and a set of lights. Recipients are encouraged to bring their bike to us within the first year if service is needed. Population(s) Served: Economically disadvantaged people & Immigrants and migrants.

Volunteer Program

Working Bikes continues to operate today largely through the efforts of our dedicated volunteers. Individuals and groups looking to lend a hand are always welcomed. There are many ways to get involved, whether you are an expert bike mechanic, a novice wrencher, or just enjoy giving back! Population(s) Served: Adults.

WTF! Volunteer Program

WTF! Night provides an exclusive space for women, transgendered, and gender non-conforming members of the Working Bikes community to learn bicycle mechanics. The intent of WTF! is community building, consciousness raising, and development of mechanical skills amongst those who have been historically left out of many opportunities for technical education. WTF! Night is every Thursday from 5-9pm at the Working Bikes warehouse at 2434 S Western in Chicago. Population(s) Served: Women and girls & Intersex people.

ABOUT RUBARB

Rubarb is a partner organization in New Orleans John and Fred look forward to riding with them and dipping our front wheels in the mighty Mississippi when we meet in NOLA!