The 4th Annual Kalamazoo Tweed Ride was a big success, thanks to all of you!
Once we all reached Old Dog, the party began! A generous spread of appetizers from Old Dog Tavern, three-legged races, giant ribbons for best-dressed, a big bike raffle, and a classic pie-in-the-face made for a fairly memorable day. THANK YOU to our sponsors, guests, volunteers, Youth Advisory Board, staff, Board of Directors, and Old Dog. 
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 It's the best day of the summer when students get to take home the bike they worked so hard to earn. We had a group of graduates wrap-up their program last night and it never gets old seeing how far they've come and how much they've grown! Earn-a-Bike Graduation 101 Step 1: Get fitted for a t-shirt and helmet Step 2: Fill out your last journal entry about the skills you've developed and experiences you've had Step 3: Choose a book, journal, and bike accessory to take home with you from prize box Step 4: Graduation Relay---> Use a chain tool, identify the parts of a bike, complete a tool quiz, do the safety check quiz, and answer social skills trivia! Step 5: Award and certificate ceremony / cheers / claps / snaps for all your effort and enthusiasm! Step 6: Test out that new bike on a bike ride along the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail Step 7: Eat cupcakes and celebrate your hard work   We are always so honored when a parent wants to write a recommendation for the program based on their child's experience. Yesterday one of our Earn-a-Bike program students, Sam, came to our weekly Fix program to make up a mechanic lesson he missed at Earn-a-Bike this summer. He worked on his bike with one of our instructors, Aaron, and then headed into the Youth Lounge and spent an hour or so building with legos with Leah, a weekly volunteer. They chatted and played while his mom looked on, smiling. Here is what she had to say: "I’m the parent of Samuel. He was introduced to this program by his Wrap Around worker with Kalamazoo’s Community Mental Health Wrap Around program. Sam has had huge social struggles in his young life. This program has introduced Sam to skills he needs to advocate his social world in the community, school, home, church, etc.. This program has brought so much positive progress to Sam’s social skills and applying them to real world situations. It has used his interests to build them skills. I have seen more progress in Sam’s ability to communicate his wants and needs during the time he’s had in this program. We have numerous years of counseling and therapy to which we’ve seen little to no progress as compared to what this Open Roads program has done for him. I’ve seen his confidence in himself become so much more progressive and have more positive results than I’ve seen with him in his whole life through the countless hours of therapy and counseling. I feel this program needs to stay an option for kids like my son. I feel this program a necessary component to Sam’s social needs and would hope to see it stay open to other kids like Sam who have trouble navigating their social environments. The people here are great! They know of Sam’s struggles and have all worked collaboratively to help Sam improve these skills. To the child struggling and the parent wondering what to do. I’d like to say this program may be what your child needs. I would recommend them to anyone looking to help their child improve social skills and articulate the world around them. It’s more than the bike! It’s the smile you see on your child’s face you may not have seen in awhile. It’s the people involved. It’s the confidence you see your child gain you may have thought was lost. I am so glad we found this program for him!" |
Posts Provided By:Erin Denay, Executive Director - In Coordination with: Open Roads staff and board members, youth and parents, and dedicated program partners |
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