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Katie with Team USA from Instagram

Oh Now you've heard of Katie Ledecky? And you've likely now heard us mention she volunteered at Bikes for the World for two years with Stone Ridge's Social Action Program. So what's she really like?

Exactly what you see. Katie brought to Bikes for the World exactly what she brought to the Olympics. She was dedicated, a hard worker, and a team player.

There are really three things we heard during the Olympics that stuck with us. #1 Katie told us all to enjoy the journey. This is something we saw in our warehouse every other week not just with Katie but the entire Stone Ridge crew.

Ken with Yvette

And it really started with this guy, advisor Ken Woodard. Ken brings his passion for bikes with him every time he steps into the warehouse. And that trickles down to his students. When we started working with Stone Ridge back in 2011 we had two volunteers from the school. As we excitedly await their return this September, that number has risen to 10, and many of them return from their junior to senior years.

Katie had this to say about working with Mr. Woodard: "He is a wonderful role model for all of us as his dedication and his willingness to help others is so evident. He demonstrates how important it is to help others, and how much fun can result from doing so."

Katie's first day at King Farm

#2 We heard throughout her 800 Free how Katie Ledecky was making that race cool again. Many moms were reporting that their little girls were watching Katie swim and wanted to be just like her. Long distance swimming was becoming popular thanks to Katie's success in the event. Her overall personality made her a much loved role model to, well, everyone!

And over the past three years this is exactly what Katie brought to our program. Honestly, all of Stone Ridge, each of these volunteers made an Impact. Stone Ridge took over our warehouse twice a month and spent most of their time working in the back with chain breakers, frame taps, bottom bracket tools, crank pullers...pulling parts off bikes many of us didn't even know came off!

Troop 1999

And our young volunteers were watching. During the last three years Bikes for the World partnered up with more Girl Scout Troops than ever before. They saw what these women of Stone Ridge were accomplishing and they wanted to be just like them. Putting tools in the hands of these capable young girls brought more confidence to many of them and we credit much of that to all our Stone Ridge volunteers.

Kaite with her Social Action Team

#3, finally, almost every interview with Katie Ledecky poolside ended with Katie saying into the camera, "Go USA!" Over and over sitting in our living rooms we sat watching Katie swim. Just Katie, because the camera couldn't capture the entire field, that's just how fast she is. Commentators said things like, "Katie is in the pool by herself" and "Katie is racing herself".

Katie Ledecky never once forgot Team USA. And she never once put herself ahead of anyone else in the Social Action program. Katie was just another student in our warehouse. When we met her she already had one Olympic Gold medal and she went on to break world records the entire time she was with us. But in our warehouse she joined her friends and teammates, pulling pedals off bikes and wheeling bikes on trailers.

Rolling bikes for the Philippines

During her last day with Bikes for the World she helped load the container of bikes that ended up in our Bikes for Education project in the Philippines. When Bikes for the Philippines found out, they were thrilled.  " Thank you Katie and Race on for the Gold. From us here in the Philippines. Mabuhay!" 

Likewise, Wheels of Africa in Kenya sent this message before the Olympics, "We look forward to watching Katie Ledecky as she competes in the Olympics. We wish her all the best." Katie not only brought together the USA, but the whole world took notice and cheered her on.

Congratulations Katie and thank you for your service. Welcome home. We can't help but think of everything Katie has brought to Bikes for the World and wonder how much of that Stone Ridge brought to her initially. Katie Ledecky, hands covered in grease, and a heart of gold.

Featured Volunteer: Stone Ridge Does It Again

This month we recognize the efforts of Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart (again). This is the second time Bikes for the World is recognizing this group, but we feel it is beyond earned. Stone Ridge is guided by five Sacred Heart Goals, one of which is a “social awareness which impels to action.” The Stone Ridge Social Action group is comprised of juniors and seniors who go out into the community twice a month to make a difference. Bikes for the World has been a proud beneficiary of this effort through five graduating classes.

This year's crew is comprised of: Suzanne Antoniou '16, Erin Barry '17, CC Cozza '16, Anneliese Goetz '16, Chloe Lacombe '17, Julianna Long '16, Meagan Rock '16, and Emma Topercer '17.

This impactful partnership began in 2011 with two students who joined us at our warehouse in Rockville to help load and prep bikes for donation around the world. Now, the 2016/17 graduating crew has swelled to eight women who join us in Arlington. Here, in addition to assisting with loading, they also perform the more intricate task of stripping parts off marginal bikes to include in those shipments.

The even bigger impact we’ve seen from their work locally, however, is the impression they leave on other volunteers. Just in the last year, Bikes for the World has seen growth in the number of young girls who have joined our volunteer ranks to help us use tools to prepare bikes for donation around the world. Seeing a strong group of young women in the back of our warehouse using tools and getting grease under their fingernails has empowered other girls to do the same. Picking up a wrench, hammer, or a huge set of bolt cutters to remove a rusty chain typically begins and ends with the smile of a young girl not accustomed to using such tools. The Stone Ridge Social Action program has not only brought capable young women from Stone Ridge into our warehouse, but it continues to inspire other female-centric groups to come get their hands dirty with us too.

 "I’m continuously impressed by the initiative that the students take to teach one another and lead by example. I’m convinced that experiential learning is imperative for youth to gain not just passive knowledge, but hands-on skills which can be replicated in many fields. Watching the older students take it upon themselves to walk the younger students through the ins-and-outs of the Bikes for the World warehouse and our activities is inspiring. I’m also happy to see young women excited about working with their hands and learning their way around a workbench.”
–BfW Operations Manager Taylor Jones

“Absorbing lots of information is nothing new for students; however, these students distinguish themselves with the calm focus with which they analyze the unique challenges every bike part presents. They methodically select relevant tools and use them to coax brakes, handlebars, crank sets, wheels, etc. off frames destined for the scrap yard.” -Stone Ridge teacher Ken Woodard.

Back in April, the 2015/16 Stone Ridge crew loaded a container of bikes for our partner in the Philippines. The entire shipment, from collectingbikes, repurposing parts, and loading the container was all accomplished by students in the DC area. Those bikes are about to be distributed in half a dozen schools on several Philippine islands. The bikes will help students at risk of dropping out stay in school and graduate.

Girls there are also learning to use wrenches and navigate greasy chains. Each student beneficiary is required to adjust brakes and know how to repair a flat tire. These are skills we hope to instill in all our volunteers at home as well. Knowing how to change a flat tire or tighten brakes is a valuable skill to take on the road as a cyclist. Helping young girls become familiar with bikes and the tools necessary to maintain a safe ride is an important by-product of our volunteer work. Working in pairs, as we see many Stone Ridge girls doing in our workshop, or learning the value of leveraging a tool properly, is like opening a door to success to many of our young girls in the warehouse.

“I’ve seen many girls tentative at first to even pick up a tool larger than they’ve ever held, but within minutes they are often teaching their parents and peers the best way to remove a rusty pedal. The story of Stone Ridge and their efforts to help change lives around the world is inspiring to schools, scout troops, families, and even individual volunteers. Seeing the effect of one simple act and the ripples that accompany it is what makes this organization so great. It’s as simple and powerful as a bicycle.” –BfW Outreach Coordinator Yvette Hess

Impact! They Make One

Stone Ridge Social Action BfW Crew

Our very own Stone Ridge for Social Action crew was recently nominated for Montgomery County's Youth Service Award. We know because WE nominated them. The Stone Ridge crew is: Lisa Adam, Allison Arinaga, Ellie Blakeslee, Allie Delgado, Deborah O'Connell, Andie Segura, and advisor Ken Woodard. They didn't win, but we still think they're tops. We bring you excerpts from the nomination letter for a look into why:

Stone Ridge Sacred Heart School of Bethesda has incorporated into their curriculum a program that transports their students' impact from the classroom to remote villages across the globe. The Social Action group meets several times a month and works with several non-profits in the county helping mentor young people and socializing with elders.

"The Social Action Mission Statement is rooted in Goal Three of Sacred Heart Education. The Social Action Program is a comprehensive service-learning program that is central to the Upper School experience. Through preparation, action, and reflection, Social Action cultivates critical consciousness of issues of justice, inculcates a life-long commitment to service, and develops students’ potential for leadership in building and maintaining just partnerships."

Bikes for the World partnered with Stone Ridge in 2011, working with two young women who found the experience to be rewarding AND fun. Because of the popularity of the program, the participants tripled this past year.

Starting last fall the girls started coming out twice a month to help load containers of 500+ bikes that will eventually end up in Africa, Central America, or the Philippines. During one such loading that was recently delivered to a Bikes for Education program in Maribojoc, Bohol, Philippines, I saw two of the girls jump up and volunteer to do the hardest job of the loading. We call this the 'third level'. After lining up two rows of bikes on top of each other, we finish the line with a final third row. The bikes on this level are 'tossed' on top of the standing bicycles and requires a certain amount of strength and finesse. They let the men hand them the bikes without so much as blinking.

Yvette and Mya at Woodlin Elementary Collection

For our younger volunteers I've seen the Bikes for the World experience change kids. They tend to like the grease and the tools and forget that what they are doing is 'work'. I've seen shy kids open up once they are taught how to use a pedal wrench. Girls jump right in once they realize it's not 'just for boys'. It's a 'doing' activity that reaches kids who are sometimes left out because they aren't 'athletic enough' or don't care for what is known as 'ball' activities. What I've seen this volunteer experience do here and overseas is give kids confidence where they once had little or none.

The importance of having this group of girls tackling this sometimes greasy job AND taking on some of the more strenuous activities opens up the door to some of our other female volunteers showing them they too, can do this. I often find young girls and even some soccer moms tentative about volunteering with us, thinking they can't do it. Once they see they can, and find out how much fun it is, they often turn out to be some of our hardest workers.

-Yvette Hess, Outreach Coordinator

This crew ranges from the budding actress to calculating engineer. Most of the girls are seniors and have already chosen colleges to move onto next fall. The Stone Ridge girls are making a difference globally and enjoy seeing the difference they are making overseas. What they may not fully realize is the impact they are having right here at home instilling confidence in other women who will continue to do this work with us even after their class graduates and moves on to college.

You can donate a bike at Stone Ridge May 5th see our website for details.

Stone Ridge Girls ROCK!

The BfW gang from Stone Ridge Social Action

Meet Lisa Adam, Allison Arinaga, Ellie Blakeslee, Allie Delgado, Deborah O'Connell, Andie Segura, and of course Mr. Woodard. These are the young ladies from Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart's Social Action Club.

BfW partnered with Stone Ridge on this project last year. Social Action, according to its blog, "is a comprehensive service-learning program that is central to the Upper School experience.Through preparation, action, and reflection, Social Action cultivates critical consciousness of issues of justice, inculcates a life-long commitment to service, and develops students’ potential for leadership in building and maintaining just partnerships."

All of us at BfW think it's just plain COOL. So a couple times a month this hardworking group comes out to our King Farm storage site and volunteers their time to help bring transportation options to remote corners of the world.  Today was actually their first day; ex-classmates Charlotte and Elizabeth had such a great experience last year we tripled in size this year! And we couldn't be happier.

When I asked them why they chose BfW the answers varied from wanting to be outside to wanting to make that global impact. The students have a variety of organizations to choose from including helping youngsters with school work to volunteering at a nursing home. Each project brings a rewarding experience to the participants.

Stone Ridge loading for Panama

We are very thankful for the help and honored to be part of the program. We have tried to schedule our loadings at King Farm in connection with when the group will be out there to help. This gives them a rewarding experience and gives us the experienced crew to help load.

The first day was no exception. Nick had them working within 20 minutes of meeting them for the first time. The shipment they started today will be finished during Volunteer Night on Thursday and be on its way to Panama by the weekend. Now that's a Cool School!

 To read more about last year's experience you can click on: Impelled to Act!