Through the eyes of a 5 year old

As a movement one never knows what will happen next and what people do, simply blows me away. I think that not knowing is the most fun of all and opening email every day is a special treat. yesterday, I received an email from Matt in Australia. his daughter had drawn some pictures of what we do and he developed them into an animation. That animation is available under updates, have a look, it is simply outstanding. We sometimes make it very difficult to explain to others what we do and how it works and the benefits of a program. Simple is better and this animation says it all.

That Special Feeling

It's been 2 weeks since I last wrote anything on our blog, but a lot has happened in that time. Colorado sent their first container to Namibia The grade 5 class of Scott Slater, last week collected a container of bikes, loaded them and with the help of Norco delivered an incredible amount of spare parts to Namibia in addition to bikes. This week, Kelowna and whistler will load containers. It's funny, but for me every day is an adventure and I would not trade one minute of the journey for anything. I am simply blown away by the spirit and energy of hundreds within the B4H family and every day, I'm inspired more and humbled by what so many do. Seb in Ottawa and her team with new partnerships, Steve and the team in Thunder Bay and their efforts with students, Tom, north of Edmonton taking on an incredible challenge in a rural area and making a go of it. I can go on and on, but the character of an organization is defined by it's people and what they believe and their enthusiasm to help others a world away in Namibia and soon Uganda.

Being grassroots has it's issue's , but they are small in comparison to the energies and enthusiasm that is released by people who care and care for others. Not being a registered non profit, we sometimes struggle for finding partners to help with tax receipting, but this only makes us stronger and leads to further creativity and partnering for the good of all. I'm not sure what we are, maybe a movement, certainly a caring global group who is focused on helping many in Africa. Whatever it is, it is magic and it is infectious and it sure keeps me going to try harder.

At times it is very emotional and touch to keep going, but when I see what so many have done, and are doing, I'm simply blown away and in awe. Maybe I'm old, maybe I'm rambling on and a bit crazy, but there is a feeling one gets when one is around something special and I thought I would just take a moment and thank everyone for all they have done and for giving us all a chance to feel something special.

April 12 Update

It's spring again and time to get your bicycles out and start riding again. Here in Whistler, it will still be a few weeks, the snow is still deep on the ground in the valley, but we like many across North America are thinking bicycles. Bicycles for Humanity teams are organizing, collecting, loading and sending bikes everywhere. Being a grassroots movement, we encourage teams and individuals to have fun and in their own special way make a difference not only in their community, but in a partner community in Africa. Bicycles for Humanity teams are organizing and growing everywhere and it is sometimes hard to know all that is going on. Collections tend to be in the spring or the fall. This update lists some of the spring activities and I'll try to get them in the order that they are happening. Hopefully if you live in one of the areas where we have chapters, you can help or send this to your friends in that region. Many of the other chapters send BEC's, Bicycle Empowerment Centres last fall and are organizing to do so again.

Here is a brief update, there is more information on the website under the chapter link

Colorado, Josh and the team in Denver have collected all the bikes and next weekend they will be loading the container. Josh can be reached at joshpace@sbcglobal.net or 415.717.2771

Vancouver, Scott and the students of Ridgeview School in North Vancouver will be collecting and loading a BEC, May 2/3. For more details, please contact Scott Slater at sslater@sd45.bc.ca or 604 981 1234 ext. 2911.

Whistler, Kelly and the team have a container half full. Pemberton Rotary, next weekend and the weekend after will be collecting bikes. In Whistler, the collection is May 10th in Function Junction. For more details, please contact Kelly at, bignesskdm@hotmail.com

Kelowna, this is the community where B4H started and it is a delight to see Keith and the team there organizing a collection for May 10th, Keith can be reached at, Kgermaine@okanagan.bc.ca

Thunder Bay, Steve and the Thunder Bay team have just loaded a container and it will be on it's way to Namibia shortly. Steve can be contacted at, sklassen@mac.com


Many more B4H teams are organizing for later this spring and in the fall. Being a part of a B4H team is fun, not only are you making a difference in Africa, but also in your own community and it is a great way to meet new people in your community. For more information on B4H chapters in other regions, please visit the B4H website or contact the following people

Ottawa, Seb, seb.oran@sympatico.ca
Toronto, Suzanne, smanvell@royallepage.ca
Cambridge, Brenda or Bob, bburch1@rogers.com
Guelph, Matt, sitka_44@hotmail.com
London, Annette, amaren623@rogers.com
Brampton, Terry, terry_owen@rogers.com
Regina, Jay, jayblackmore@gmail.com
Calgary, Walter, Walter.Rudolph@huskyenergy.ca
Edmonton, Tom, tom@bicycles-for-humanity.org
Vernon, Julie, juliemelan@hotmail.com
Santa Rosa, California, Dave, dave@santarosapt.com
Manchester, UK, David, ddarch@globalnet.co.uk


Thanks again to all that support the Bicycles for Humanity movement. if you are interested in getting involved please feel free to contact any of the B4H team for more information, to help out, donate or possibly start a chapter in your community. Nor sure who to contact, hopefully, I can help, I'm at pat@bicycles-for-humanity.org. For the projects we support in Namibia and to find out more about our grassroots movement, you can contact Michael at michael@benbikes.org.za

2 years ago, Bicycles for Humanity was one chapter, today, there are 16 chapters and another 10 in the early stages fo organizing. We are grassroots, we always will be, we link communities here and in Africa to help solve problems related to mobility for rural healthcare workers and women. We have no overhead and infrastructure other than our website and premium products to assist with fundraising efforts, prints, pins, shirts etc. The energies and the incredible skill sets within the B4H family is our strength and through the efforts of many mentoring new groups, teams sharing ideas, and friends of B4H reaching out and telling others, well, it just seems to keep growing and a lot of good flows everywhere.

Humanity Rocks

The B4H Team

And the beat goes on

It's almost March and the B4H team is once again gearing up and getting ready to send bicycles and soccer gear to Africa. The team has grown a lot with new chapters in Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, London and Guelph having joined in the last few months and a number more just establishing new grassroots teams. Our focus this year is Namibia. Last year we sent 9 containers or BEC's, Bicycle Empowerment Centres to Namibia and the results of added mobility are being felt across the entire country. With the 10-15 more BEC's this year, we will have established a program that will hopefully become a model that all African countries will follow in the future.

Grassroots Aids Action groups are vital in the fight against Aids and we support many of them in Namibia and we will continue to do so. On our website you will see under updates links to a number of articles related to the outstanding work Mary Beth Gallagher does with children in Namibia. With children here playing soccer, they get new equipment almost every year and soccer clubs and leagues have been very generous in sending us soccer gear and with container costs based on volume, and with there being a lot of room in a container of bikes we have been adding soccer gear and children's books to the shipments. Bicyles empower people with mobility and by being able to visit more people to educate, deliver drugs and care for those that are dying. Soccer unites people and once united especially youth, it's a great way to begin the education process, this Youtube video says it all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyplef2Hi6Y

Bicycles for Humanity is grassroots and it will always be. The teams that come together in communities across now 4 countries are partnered with communities in Namibia and then through their own creativity, drive and passion organize fundraising efforts and collect the 400 bikes that make up a full BEC. We call these groups chapters and each team does it in their own special way and many of the team members will follow the container and visit the communities they are supporting. Chapters are forming now almost on a weekly basis and chapters that sent BEC's last year are mentoring and coaching new chapters in how to fund raise, collect bikes, get the message out, and most importantly have fun doing it. Many smaller communities or groups do not have the market or the reach to form a Chapter and this year we are initiative a new team concept within B4H called Clubs. These clubs will generally be in or near the cities where chapters have formed and they might take on collecting a smaller number of bikes and the funds to ship or just help with fundraising. They might collect soccer gear or children's books working closely with the chapters in their area to co-ordinate activities with the container loading. Civic Clubs like Rotary, Lions and faith based service groups, like the Knights of Columbus are some examples that have members that might want to help out. Some Clubs will become chapters over time, but the idea is to allow more to share in the fun of true empowerment. If you are interested in being a club or a chapter, you can gain more information by contacting us through our info@bicycles-for-humanity.org or through any of our chapter heads.


The actions of one individual and the efforts of teams of grassroots volunteers can and have made a difference. Being a part of a movement and sharing and knowing who you are helping and why is very rewarding and exciting and allows you to interact in communities both at home and globally in new and interesting ways.

Thanks
Humanity Rocks

The B4H team

From the B4H family, All the best in 2008

Firstly, all the best to everyone in 2008, for the global B4H family it has started out at full speed. The article in the Globe and Mail sure caught the interest of many across Canada and the States and I think struck a nerve with many. As a result, groups in Halifax, Toronto, London, North Bay, Kingston, Calgary and Regina are organizing and hopefully creating B4H chapters in Canada. In the States, Chicago and San Francisco are looking to join Colorado, Boston and Hartford. It is a very, very busy time and we are trying to develop a getting started manual that we will be sending out to anyone interested in starting a chapter.

Thanks again, all the best in 2008
Humanity Rocks
Pat

Seasons Greeting from the B4H Team

On behalf of all of the Bicycles for Humanity family globally, we
wish each and everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy
Hanukkah and all the best for 2008. 2007 was an amazing year,
containers were sent to Namibia from Thunder Bay, Brampton, Cambridge,
Ottawa and Manchester, UK. During 2007 new B4H Chapters were
organized in Denver, Guelph, Edmonton, Boston and Melbourne Australia.

Michael Linke and the team at BEN, Bicycle Empowerment Network did an
incredible job organizing and distributing the containers or BEC's,
Bicycle Empowerment Centres to many communities in Namibia and the
impact on Aids education, drug delivery and hospice care meant that
the average care giver could visit and help 4 to 5 times as many
people.

In Uganda, a rural health program in the Community of Kigezi will
receive 2 BEC's this year thanks to the efforts of Joseph Agoada and
the corporate support of MTN, the leading cellular company in Uganda.
Kelly and the team in Whistler are loading a container now to be sent
to Tsumeb where they visited in 2007 and the home of the first
container shipped by the students in Vancouver. This year Scott and
the students of Rockcreek will be organizing another BEC to be sent
to Namibia.

2008 is shaping up to be an exciting year with a lot of
interesting programs. CAA, Catholic Action Aids, www.caa.org.na as
a grassroots organization did more to change the face of fighting
Aids than almost any group globally. In 2007 we provided this
organization with 2 containers of bikes and in 2008 they could
desperately use 10 containers alone for their aids efforts. Early
next year, we will be approaching all Catholic church's, schools and
Knights of Columbus groups across North America to help B4H chapters
and many other terrific bike collection groups in North America
make this happen.

This initiative coupled with the Kigezi initiative in Uganda will
have established a model for rural health care and the value of a
bicycle in bringing about change. If you are interested in helping
out or you know of a group that might be interested in supporting
the efforts of the global, Bicycles for Humanity team, please have
them contact one of our team members in your contact area, listed on
our website.

Thanks again to everyone that helped in 2007 and all the best this
Christmas, Hanukkah season.

Humanity Rocks

The Bicycles for Humanity Team
www.bicycles-for-humanity.org

Wow, what a year

in one year make a difference in helping fight Aids and Poverty in Africa. Together with Michael Linke and BEN , Bicycle Empowerment Network, we achieved that goal and in so doing created 7 strong and very active B4H Chapters. All who came together, collected the bikes, raised the monies and helped make the world just a bit better should be very proud of their efforts. 2 weeks ago, the last container for this year left from Cambridge, Ontario, making the number for the year 8, with many more in the works for next year.

I'm so proud of all that everyone has accomplished and I hope that everyone stays with the program for next year. Exciting projects are developing in Uganda and it is my wish that things continue to grow in Namibia and in other countries in Africa. For me, well, it's time to take a rest and think about what I want to do and goals for 2008.

I encourage each and every B4H chapter, all involved and the groups in Africa who are putting the bikes to good use to think about their goals and dreams for next year as well. Grassroots is exactly that, no individual or group has the power, no individual or group has the say and no individual or group can make decisions for the other groups. This allows each group the freedom and creativity to do exactly what they want and to support what they feel is important.

Bicycles for Humanity is a vehicle that if it helps get more bikes to those in need no matter who's project it is or where it is in africa, it has served it's purpose

My dream is that Bicycles for Humanity continue to be an enabler and to help get more bikes to Africa to support health care workers, students and families that are in dire need of mobility. Thanks again to all who gave so much, your efforts and the ripple effect of these actions will last forever and it is my dream that all will find their way in 2008 and find projects worthy of your support.

Thanks, Humanity Rocks


Pat