Seattle cyclists donate 834 bikes to Katrina relief
SEATTLE, Nov. 8, 2005 – With many opportunities to contribute to the hurricane relief effort, Seattle cyclists found a unique way, over the past two weekends, to help evacuees get their lives rolling again by donating 834 bikes and assorted cycling gear to evacuees in Louisiana and on local college campuses. The Katrina Bikes Partnership Project, orchestrated by Seattle cyclist Beryl Fernandes, and Louisiana hurricane evacuee, Jerome Ringo, Chairman of the Board of the National Wildlife Federation, along with the help of Seattle Police, Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle Public Schools, Seattle Bike Touring Club and public groups in Baton Rouge, collected the bikes over the last weekend of October and first weekend of November with the help of over 200 local volunteers, 33 Seattle area bike mechanics and more than 15 community partners. “We are thrilled with the generosity of the Seattle community,” said organizer Beryl Fernandes whose group of volunteers not only collected, repaired and washed bikes over the past two weekends, but picked up bikes from elderly donors, helped feed other volunteers and even attached over 400 notes written to bike recipients by Seattle elementary school students. The notes will accompany the bikes to their recipients in Louisiana. “The volunteer support was amazing,” said Fernandes. “The bikes were coming in fast and furious toward the end of the day on Sunday. We couldn’t have done it without their help.” Among Sunday’s volunteers was 13-year-old Brittany Caroll-Watts of Seattle’s Austin Foundation, a nonprofit group that promotes health and fitness values to at-risk youth in the Seattle community. “I came in and thought; wow, that's a lot of bikes. This is such a great program, it just shocked me to see how many people donated bikes,” said Caroll-Watts, who is an eighth grader at University Prep and following graduation hopes to attend either MIT or Princeton. “Sometimes you don't stop to think about how the loss of a bike can effect people,” said Katrina Bikes volunteer and Austin Foundation founder, Willie Austin, 47, of Queen Anne. “In times of a disaster, bikes can be one of the best ways of getting around your city,” added Austin who hopes that his kids can use the experience as a catalyst to a lifetime of volunteerism. “This brings a realization that something like this can happen to them. It helps the kids put themselves in someone else’s shoes and hopefully gives them motivation to continue helping people in their own community.” The Katrina Bikes project is one of several programs around the country that have already collected, shipped and distributed several thousand bicycles to residents of hurricane-affected communities. In September, with the help of actress Sandra Bullock, cyclists in Austin, Texas donated over 1,000 bikes in less than two days for hurricane relief. A similar program in Boulder, Colorado recently collected over 300 bikes for evacuees in Baton Rouge. For more information, please visit www.katrinabikes.org.
Press Release November 1, 2005
KATRINA BIKES PARTNERSHIP PROJECT
Mike McQuaid
McQuaid & Co. Strategic Communications
Seattle cyclists donate 365 bikes on first weekend of Katrina bike collection Donations include a dozen bikes from Seattle Police Department Public collection of bikes continues Nov. 5 & 6 at Magnuson Park
SEATTLE, Nov. 1, 2005 – A 1930’s vintage sport bike, a TREK 950 mountain bike with high-end Shimano components valued at over $700, a 1970’s era 10-speed rescued from the depths of Lake Washington and a dozen unclaimed bikes from the Seattle Police Department’s evidence unit are among the 365 bikes of all colors, shapes and sizes donated to hurricane relief this weekend at Seattle’s Magnuson Park through the Katrina Bikes Partnership Project. Orchestrated by Seattle cyclist Beryl Fernandes, and Louisiana hurricane evacuee, Jerome Ringo, Chairman of the Board of the National Wildlife Federation, along with the help of Seattle Police, Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle Public Schools, Seattle Bike Touring Club and public groups in Baton Rouge, the Katrina Bikes Partnership Project is a citizen-to-citizen bike donation program designed to help improve the lives of hurricane evacuees and to help relieve traffic gridlock in their new community. The Katrina Bikes project, which resumes from 10am to 5pm this Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 5 & 6, is one of several programs around the country that have already collected, shipped and distributed several thousand bicycles to residents of hurricane-affected communities. In September, with the help of actress Sandra Bullock, cyclists in Austin, Texas donated over 1,000 bikes in less than two days for hurricane relief. A similar program in Boulder, Colorado recently collected over 300 bikes for evacuees in Baton Rouge. "We have already far-exceeded our expectations," said Fernandes who sees the program's success as not just an ambitious collection of bikes but real people coming together to help those in need. "On Saturday, a couple brought us a bike that belonged to their son who had been deceased for ten years," said Fernandes, a Seattle urban planning consultant. "They weren't able to give up the bike until they heard about our project. They felt this was the right fit and that the bike would go to a loving place where people in need can make use of it." Throughout the weekend, cyclists from all around western Washington brought in bikes that have been pedaled on nearly every road, trail and track in the area, including Jack Johnson and Bernadette Smith, of Arlington, Wash., who on Sunday, made the 35 mile drive south to Magnuson Park to donate two new women's Huffy Avenue bikes. "We just heard about this on TV news last night," said Smith, 49. "Before today, we haven't donated our time or money to any of the relief efforts and thought that this was a good idea. I hope others can do whatever they can - it really does make a difference." Bikes are being collected, examined and repaired by volunteers from local bicycle clubs, businesses, schools and even relocated evacuee-students at the UW. The bikes are then shipped, courtesy of Yellow Transportation, to hurricane affected regions in Louisiana and to relocated evacuee-students on the UW and Seattle University campuses. "Like everyone else I wanted to get involved," said Susan Tom, a Tulane University Ph. D. candidate in Pharmacology who relocated to the UW after levy breaks along Lake Pontchartrain closed Tulane and flooded her apartment. "I spoke to someone at FEMA who said there was 8 to 10 feet of water on my street," said Tom, 28, of New Orleans, who was both a bike recipient and among the 100 volunteers who turned out over the weekend to clean and repair bikes. "I've been relying on public transportation since I've been here," she added. "This will make my life easier - getting between classes and to the lab." Following a long Sunday of adjusting gears, oiling chains and pumping tires, volunteer Rob Colon, 44, a master bike tech at the South Center / Tukwila REI, pointed out some rare finds including a vintage 1960's Raleigh three-speed. "This was built when Raleigh was still manufacturing bikes in England," said Colon. "It even has a Brooks leather saddle - that's rare." Among Colon's other finds was a custom Terry - one of the first bikes manufactured in the world specifically for women, and a 1970's era 10-speed covered in rust and mud with an ample growth of milfoil hanging from its derailleur. "This one has been underwater for a few years," said a grinning Colon. "We'll give it a quick look and read her last rites." The Katrina bike collection resumes this Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm, Nov. 5 & 6 at Magnuson Park. To donate a bike or volunteer, please visit www.katrinabikes.org.
Press Release October 13, 2005
KATRINA BIKES PARTNERSHIP PROJECT
Mike McQuaid
McQuaid & Co. Strategic Communications
Donated Seattle bikes to help Katrina evacuees Public can donate bikes Oct. 29 & 30 and Nov. 5 & 6 at Magnuson Park
SEATTLE, Oct. 13, 2005 – Have a spare bike? Seattleites can help Hurricane Katrina evacuees get rolling again by bringing their unused bikes to Magnuson Park the weekend of Oct. 29 & 30 and Nov. 5 & 6 for donation to evacuees now living in Baton Rouge and Lake Charles, Louisiana. Spearheaded by Seattle cycling enthusiast Beryl Fernandes and Jerome C. Ringo, Chairman of the Board of the National Wildlife Federation along with the help of Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle Public Schools, Seattle Bike Touring Club and public groups in Baton Rouge, the Katrina Bikes Partnership Project is a citizen-to-citizen bike donation program designed to help improve the lives of hurricane evacuees and to help relieve traffic gridlock in their new community. Through the program, volunteers will collect bikes at Magnuson Park, 7400 Sand Point Way NE in Seattle, between 10am and 5pm during the last weekend of October and first weekend of November. Bikes will be checked by local mechanics and undergo minor repairs. Yellow Transportation, a subsidiary of Yellow Roadway Corporation, one of the largest transportation service providers in the world, will provide two 28-foot trailers to truck the bikes to Louisiana where they will be distributed through area recreation centers. "On behalf of the Board of Directors of the National Wildlife Federation and their 4 million members, I want to let you know that we think this is a tremendous humanitarian effort,” said Ringo, whose family was evacuated from Lake Charles after Hurricane Rita. “This provides a very valuable means of transportation but also creates a new culture of environmental preservation by helping limit auto emissions into the atmosphere. This is a win-win situation for the people of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.” Gridlock has become an increasing problem in Louisiana’s capital city where an estimated quarter million evacuees from New Orleans and other hard hit areas have pushed the city to its limits. “Our transportation system is flooded,” said Bruce Wickert, president of the Baton Rouge Bike Club, who is working together with others in Baton Rouge to distribute bikes. “What was once a simple 10 minute commute by car is now 45 minutes,” added Wickert, who along with Seattle project organizer Fernandes, recognized an opportunity to help evacuees from New Orleans that have lost their cars or bikes to the hurricane or have no other means of transportation. “Like everyone else, I wanted to help the people of Louisiana,” said Fernandes a Seattle urban / environmental planning consultant. “I saw a hurricane evacuee on TV who said he was taking his bike to get food and supplies - that prompted the idea,” she said. “After talking with potential partners in Seattle and Baton Rouge it was clear there was a huge wave of enthusiasm. That’s the beauty of a partnership. It’s self-propelled.” In both Seattle and Baton Rouge, diverse community groups are chipping in. “Baton Rouge is excited and ready to distribute this much needed transportation that will not only transform lives but the city as a whole for the better,” said Michael McClanahan director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center that will help with distribution. While in Seattle, students from local elementary schools have written personal notes to accompany the bikes to their recipients, while members of Nathan Hale High School’s bicycle club will inspect each donated bike and make minor repairs. “This venture is a great merger of Seattle’s generosity and love of the outdoors,” said Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent Ken Bounds. “It will mean a real transportation alternative for many of the people who lost their cars in the storm or don’t have any other means of transportation.” An estimated 571,000 cars may have been destroyed following Hurricane Katrina according to Carfax.com, a publisher of vehicle history reports. Katrina Bikes Partnership is one of several programs around the country that have already collected, shipped and distributed several thousand bicycles to residents of hurricane-affected communities. In September, with the help of actress Sandra Bullock, cyclists in Austin, Texas donated over 1,000 bikes in less than two days for hurricane relief. A similar program in Boulder, Colorado recently collected over 300 bikes for evacuees in Baton Rouge. For more information, please visit www.seattlebiketours.org. What: Katrina Bikes Partnership Project is a citizen-to-citizen bike donation program where Seattleites can donate their unused bikes to evacuees of Hurricane Katrina. Why: To help relieve traffic gridlock in Baton Rouge and improve the lives of evacuees in the community. When: 10am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday Oct. 29 & 30 and Nov. 5 & 6 Where: Magnuson Park (Former Puget Sound Naval Air Station at Sand Point) 7400 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115 Hangar 30. Hangar 30 is on the left about 200 yards from the 74th Street entrance. Look for Katrina Bikes Partnership Project signs. Acceptable Bikes: Bikes must be in good condition.
