Sacred Places Spring 2011 | Page 10

EXEMPLARY SOCIAL SERVICES HOSTED BY SACRED PLACES Neighborhood Bike Works at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Hamilton Village by Ann de Forest Sean Betts, 15, has always been interested in how things work. He took his first bicycle apart when he was 9 years old. The results weren’t pretty. “I didn’t really know how to put it back together,” he shakes his head, remembering. Now Sean is a whiz at bike mechanics. Many weekdays after school, Sean can be found in the basement of the parish hall of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Hamilton Village (Philadelphia, PA) keeping his racing bike in peak condition. Neighborhood Bike Works, an innovative youth development program housed at St. Mary’s, has given him a place – along with tools and guidance – to hone his skills and cultivate his curiosity. as well, as storage for the used bikes and parts sold under the auspices of the archly named Divine Bike Church, to earn money for NBW’s youth development programs. St. Mary’s Rector Jim Littrell jokes about the multitudes of bicycles hidden underneath his sanctuary, “I think they party there and have progeny.” “With any other landlord,” Dyson jokes back, “we would have gotten thrown out a long time ago.” He appreciates the church’s willingness to put up with a bunch of noisy, sometimes unruly teenagers. “They don’t have to be taking these risks with their beautiful building. They’re helping us by having us here.” Since 1996, Neighborhood Bike Works (NBW) has introduced kids like Sean to a world of opportunities through bicycles. In after-school, weekend, and summer classes, youth ages 8-18 come from West Philadelphia and beyond to participate in NBW’s Earn-a-Bike program, where they learn about bike safety and repair. After fixing up used bikes donated by the community, participants graduate with a bike of their own, a helmet, and a lock. “It’s trash to treasure,” NBW’s Executive Director Andy Dyson* says of the program’s simple philosophy. The kids involved get a sense of true accomplishment in transforming broken-down bikes into a fun and functional means for getting around town – their own personal treasure they get to take home and keep. “You get rewarded for learning,” says Dyson. “You’re learning that learning itself has its rewards.” The “trash to treasure” philosophy could also describe NBW’s transformation of St. Mary’s parish hall basement into a colorful, lively workspace. The basement presents a scene of ordered clutter, with every surface a variation on the theme of bicycles. Tires, tubes, handlebars, and other bones of bicycle skeletons hang from the ceiling and walls. Bright murals painted in collaboration with the city’s Mural Arts Program feature Lance Armstrong and Major Taylor, an African-American cyclist who in the 1890s defied Jim Crow laws to compete, becoming a world-famous racing champion. Even the banisters are fashioned from bike gears and handlebars. NBW has colonized the church’s undercroft *Andy Dyson has since left Neighborhood Bike Works. The current Executive Director is Kitty Heite. 9 • Sacred Places • www.sacredplaces.org • Spring 2011 A young participant learns about bike repair as part of Neighborhood Bike Works’ Earn-a-Bike program.