We are thrilled to announce the completion of our 2022 Impact Report! We took a deep dive into the past year to tally our accomplishments, acknowledge some of our struggles, and celebrate them all. Through a combination of staff/participant stories and quantitative data, we’re able to summarize where we are at as an organization. This […]
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Archive for Category: Earn a Bike
Barbara’s story of earning a bike
By Rebecca Fisher, Communications Intern When someone stole Barbara’s bike, she didn’t know what to do. Biking was her main mode of transportation and she couldn’t afford a new bike. Biking is important to her because it is a “sustainable mode of transit and is important for exercise.” She heard about Community Cycling Center’s Earn a […]
12 new riders at IRCO
By Melinda Musser, Communications & Marketing Manager On Friday, August 7th, twelve people at IRCO rode home on bikes that were generously donated to the Community Cycling Center and lovingly refurbished by our mechanics and volunteers. But it wasn’t just bikes that they earned. The Earn a Bike participants received new helmets, locks, flat fix […]
Ben Duncan (of OPAL) on earning a bike through the Community Cycling Center
By Melinda Musser, Communications & Marketing Manager Last week, we sat down to chat with Ben Duncan, founding board member of OPAL and the Chief Diversity and Equity Officer at Multnomah County Health. Ben graduated from our Create a Commuter program over a decade ago, and shared with us his thoughts on the importance of […]
How a bike saves Maria money and helps her connect with her community
By Heidi Beierle, Volunteer Storyteller Maria earned her bike on Valentine’s Day earlier this year during a Create a Commuter workshop. In the opening circle of that February workshop, Maria said, “I look forward to riding my bike to save money. I had a bike, but it was stolen.” This April, Community Cycling Center follows […]
Create a Commuter conversation hearts
By Heidi Beierle, Volunteer Storyteller On Valentine’s Day, five women and five men from Central City Concern earned new commuter bikes equipped with everything they need to ride safely and confidently. This valentine joy also came with lessons on riding safely, taking bikes on transit, and locking the bike securely. All ten participants spent […]
Create a Commuter at Hacienda’s Salon Comunal
By Lori Rodriguez, Volunteer A few weekends ago, I had the pleasure of volunteering with the Create a Commuter workshop held at Hacienda’s Salon Comunal, or Community Center, in Northeast Portland. For those who aren’t familiar with the program (I wasn’t until I volunteered for it!), Create a Commuter identifies low-income adults in need of […]
How neighbors help sustain bike ridership
By Melinda Musser, Communications & Marketing Manager “I especially enjoyed meeting Neda. She’s from Iraq,” remarked Doug, a We All Can Ride member. “I think it’s marvelous that we can have all of this diversity here. It’s one of the great wonders and joys of living in New Columbia.” Last Friday, four members of We […]
Ride along with Linda on her commute
By Melinda Musser, Communications & Marketing Manager This September, we are celebrating the BTA’s Bike Commute Challenge month by riding along with one of our favorite commuters. Linda Dougherty lives in New Columbia and is a member of the We All Can Ride Bike Committee. I met up with Linda last Friday afternoon to join […]
Marineusa on earning her bike, “Black Beauty”
By Britt Appleton, Social Media Specialist Marinuesa earned a bike at a Create a Commuter workshop in February and wasted no time making it her own. She named her KHS “Black Beauty” and attached a basket to the rear rack draped with a Brazilian flag. Marinuesa grew up in Brazil on a farm. “We all […]
In his own words: Dan on earning a bike
By Britt Appleton, Social Media Specialist On December 12, 2010, Dan earned a bicycle through a Create a Commuter workshop at Central City Concern. Since then he started working at Salvation Army, and became an avid bike commuter. Dan takes a lot of pride in his bike. He bought a trip meter so that he […]
Volunteer Spotlight: Maggie Russell
By Randi Orth, Volunteer & Outreach Manager Maggie is a delight to work with both inside our shop, during community events and in our earn-a-bike workshops. She is a smart, flexible, and fun volunteer, and certainly knows how to have a good time while teaching community members about their bikes. Maggie is a very dedicated […]
In his own words: Juan on earning a Create a Commuter bike
By Britt Appleton, Social Media Specialist On December 12, 2010, Juan earned a bicycle through a Create a Commuter workshop at Central City Concern. Two and a half years later, he is still riding. I met up with Juan and his former employment specialist, Christina, last week to talk about his experience and what it […]
Mobility, safety, and comfort: how one man’s life changed in an instant after earning a bike
By Lale Santelices, Create a Commuter Instructor In February, Rafael participated in our Create a Commuter program in partnership with Easter Seals, a nonprofit organization that provides services, education, outreach, and advocacy so that people living with disabilities can live, learn, work and play in our communities. During the workshop, Rafael and a group of […]
Ready to ride – ABC leaders earn bikes through Create a Commuter
By Britt Appleton, Social Media Specialist On November 30th we conducted our second Create a Commuter workshop in Spanish at Hacienda CDC. Several committee members from Andando en Bicicletas en Cully (ABC) not only earned bikes, but they also led portions of the workshop – a Create a Commuter first. Yeni discussed the importance of […]
New commuters hit the streets – Create a Commuter at NAYA
By Joseph Rosevear, Instructor Think about the last time you rode a bicycle. For participants in last week’s Create a Commuter workshop at the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), it ranged from “one week ago” to “over ten years.” Five of the participants had not ridden in over seven years. The first group […]
Fall brings new beginnings at Create a Commuter
By Joseph Rosevear, Instructor On the 1st of October, we partnered with Portland Youth Builders for the first Create a Commuter workshop of the season. It was a fantastic event with ten participants ages 18 – 24. Portland Youth Builders focuses on supporting young men and women who are committed to changing their lives to […]
On two wheels – new opportunities for a young adult to explore
By Heidi Beierle, Volunteer Storyteller On April 21, 2012, the Community Cycling Center engaged a group of young adults at Open Meadow in a Create a Commuter workshop. We followed up with one of those participants nearly two months and many sunny days later to learn how the gift of a bicycle and some cycling […]
Create a Commuter at IRCO reunites with past workshop participant
By Zan Gibbs, Adult Programs Manager On Thursday, June 7th, we offered our third Create a Commuter workshop to the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO). IRCO is the leading refugee organization in Oregon and Southwest Washington, empowering refugees and immigrants to become self-sufficient, long-term contributors to the economic vitality of the community. We had […]
“It brings out the kid in me” – checking in with Tom, a Create a Commuter graduate
By Britt Appleton, Social Media Specialist Yesterday I met up with Tom, a former Create a Commuter participant, at Floyd’s coffee shop in Old Town to find out how his life had changed since earning a bike in March through our workshop with Central City Concern. He immediately scrolled through his cell phone to find […]
Community Cycling Center creates 14 new commuters at POIC
By Zan Gibbs, Adult Program Manager On Thursday, May 10th, we offered our second Create a Commuter workshop to the Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (POIC). At POIC, they reconnect alienated, at-risk youth affected by poverty, family instability and homelessness; with high school education and career training. We had 14 excited young adults arrive on a […]
High school student produces inspirational Create a Commuter video
This spring, we worked with Maya Rait, a talented sophomore student at Catlin Gabel, on a Create a Commuter video project. Every year as part of the media curriculum, Catlin Gabel students develop videos for community partners. This year they are creating video pieces for nonprofit organizations where they regularly perform community service to inspire […]
Too sunny for fenders: Create a Commuter at Open Meadow
By Zan Gibbs, Adult Programs Manager On what was probably the best weather day yet for 2012, Saturday, April 21st, we held our 3rd annual Create a Commuter workshop with Open Meadow in North Portland. Eleven excited young adults received KHS bicycles, fully outfitted for all weather commuting! They were SUPER excited about the quality […]
Create a Commuter at Central City Concern: “This bike is my new best friend!”
By Britt Appleton, Social Media Specialist Last Friday, March 23rd, I attended my first Create a Commuter workshop, which took place at Central City Concern in northwest Portland. As we lined up the bikes on the sidewalk outside of Central City Concern’s Old Town Recovery Center, dozens of spectators on the street admired the shiny […]
New paths await Create a Commuter riders
By Derek Burns, Volunteer Storyteller Hope and opportunity met on March 1st when a dozen new cyclists were given bikes as part of the Create a Commuter program. Thanks to a combined effort with S.E. Works’ Portland Partners Re-Entry Initiative – an agency dedicated to helping people successfully re-enter the Portland community after incarceration – riders […]
Dillon and Claudia – a family’s story of earning bicycles
By Lara Sheets, Program Support Specialist
In January, we piloted a new Winter Bike Club at Harvey Scott School, featuring a bicycle maintenance…
First Create a Commuter of 2012 – Sunny and Wonderful!
By Zan Gibbs, Adult Program Manager
On Sunday, February 5th, we delivered our first Create a Commuter workshop of 2012 to Portland Community Col…
Create a Commuter Workshop with Hacienda and Easter Seals
On Friday, November 18th, we delivered our first ever Create a Commuter workshop exclusively in Spanish to a group of Spanish-speaking residents fr…
Create a Commuter Empowers 15 Adults at Humboldt Gardens
On October 29th we held a Create a Commuter workshop at the Home Forward Humboldt building in North Portland. We had an awesome group of 15 adults …
Create a Commuter at Portland Youth Builders
On September 26th, we kicked off our 11th Year of Create a Commuter with a fantastic workshop at Portland Youth Builders in SE Portland. Their miss…
Create a Commuter season begins
This year, our Create a Commuter program marked ten years of broadening access to bicycling. We’re riding right into the next ten years with a slat…
Ten Years of Create a Commuter – Part 2
This is part two of a two part series. To read about the beginning of the Create a Commuter Program, please click here.
The Create a Commuter p…
Create a Commuter season ends with new beginnings
By Zan Gibbs, Adult Program Manager
We ended our Create a Commuter season with a fantastic workshop at Central City Concern in downtown Portlan…
Create a Commuter Workshop at POIC
By Zan Gibbs, Adult Program Manager
On Tuesday May 24th, 2011, we held our first Create a Commuter workshop with Portland Opportunities Industri…
Create a Commuter Workshop Introduces New Bikes to North Portland Residents
On Saturday May 7th, 2011, we held a Create a Commuter workshop for adults enrolled in the workforce training programs at the Housing Authority of …
Create a Commuter workshop at Open Meadow introduces new bicycles!
On April 16th 2011, we held our second Create a Commuter workshop with Open Meadow Career Services in North Portland. The mission of the Open Meado…
Create a Commuter Profile: Meet Veah
Each year, our Create a Commuter program helps more than 150 low-income adults earn fully-outfitted commuter bicycles while gaining the skills, kno…
Thirteen new bicycle commuters
On Monday, January 26th, we offered a Create a Commuter workshop at Innovative Housing, Inc. This organization creates new solutions to unmet housi…
Create a Commuter Connects Those in Need
Last week, Jay Dean, Adult Program Coordinator and Mary Dzieweczynski, Program Director, headed out to the Portland Homeless Connect event at the O…