John Hess, Philanthropy Director for the Davis Bike Club, has announced this year’s donation recipients. This is the first year of significant giving after a freeze during the pandemic.
DBC is able to provide support to these organizations due to the income generated by the annual Davis Double Century and Foxy’s Fall Century rides. These milestone rides are only possible because of the DBC volunteers — the many, many folks who come together to make the Double Century and Foxy’s such well known, well respected, and popular events.
The four organizations selected this year are The Bike Campaign ($1780), Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates ($500), The Bike Collective ($500) and NorCal Trykers ($500). Each of these organizations is a bicycle-oriented non-profit that is directly aiding cyclists in a manner that the DBC does not.
The Bike Campaign
(TBC) has existed in Davis for 13 years and currently has 50 volunteers. Volunteer mechanics provide free bike repair services at two Bike Garage locations (Davis and Woodland) twice a week; in addition, skilled riders are training kids through the Bike Skills Training Program at a total of 20 schools in Davis and Woodland during the 2023/24 school year. Thousands of kids and adults have been taught how to ride and use bikes as transportation through the efforts of TBC, whose primary focus is to encourage more people to ride bikes and reduce car trips.
Support is provided by being available 365 days a year by phone, email and website to answer questions. The organization designed and provides Davis/Woodland Bike Maps, promotes community bike rides, and collaborates with area bike advocacy organizations to create synergy and reach more riders. The TBC recycles hundreds of bikes every year, turning them into reliable transportation and developing the skills of many teens through their mentoring, internship, and employment program.
The Bike Campaign is proud to be providing Bike Skills at 20 elementary schools in Davis/Woodland in the 2023/24 school year. For more information about how to volunteer as a Bike Skills Trainer, at either Bike Garage location in Davis or Woodland or how to contribute to the work of TBC, please contact Maria Contreras Tebbutt, Director of this 501(c)(3) non-profit at funmaria@sbcglobal.net or visit www.TheBikeCampaign.org.
Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates
(SABA) is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to making the Sacramento region a safe place for cyclists of all kinds. SABA advances its mission through education, encouragement, and advocacy, and is known for programs like Bike Valet, hosting May is Bike Month for the Sacramento Area Council of Governments’ (SACOG) six counties, and by up-cycling bicycles and gifting them to residents in historically underserved neighborhoods. SABA is an active stakeholder in city and regional meetings, providing input in favor of safe cycling infrastructure for all cyclists including those across the river in Davis.
The Bike Collective
(BC), sometimes known as Bike Forth, is an organization in Davis that keeps people bicycling by providing equitable access to tools and advice to help cyclists fix their own bikes and learn more about how bicycles work. The BC has a huge stash of parts from frames to forks to wheels to ball bearings. Most are sorted and located in old library card catalog drawers or file cabinets and are available on a sliding scale basis. The BC is run by an all-volunteer staff and is always looking for more mechanic-educators and administrative talent interested in supporting cycling within the community. Follow them on Facebook or Instagram
NorCal Trykers
(NCT) is an organization that provides customized, therapeutic tricycles to children with disabilities that can’t ride a traditional cycle. NCT has a team of physical and occupational therapists that assesses the needs and customization of a tricycle to fit the rider, including hand cycles. This service helps get children riding and works like TBC in repairing donated tricycles or passing along outgrown tricycles to other children.