Celebrating National Bike to School Day at a PBOT Bike Breakfast on NE Going.
Those trip log numbers are steadily ticking up as we enter Week 3 of the Oregon Walk+Bike to School Challenge. Kids and families around the country celebrated National Bike to School Day last Wednesday, and we got a chance to meet some bike trains on the way to school with pancakes and hot chocolate on the NE Going neighborhood greenway.
Congratulations to our Week 2 raffle winners!
Kathleen McDade wins a day pack from Columbia Sportswear for Ventura Park Elementary.
Molly Haynes wins a Nutcase Helmet for Atkinson Elementary.
Keep logging those trips every week and you'll be entered in the raffle to win extra prizes for your school. The first 75 schools to log final results at the end of the month all receive a gift card for a free pair of KEEN shoes of your choice.
Inspiration of the Week
Portland Village Charter School coordinator Carie W-Folz shared this great story about how neighbors and parents were willing to get their hands greasy to help a kid with a broken chain.
"Last week, we were biking to school with friends and one of the kids' bike wasn't shifting right. Every time he tried shifting gears, the chain fell off. I put it back on, but it fell off again. We were starting to wonder how many more times this would happen before we got to school.
Tony Periera [of Periera Bicycles, a local celeb] happened to bike past us, and he kindly stopped and put the chain back on. Once again, shifting gears made it fall off. I knew if we didn't change something we'd be really tardy to school. I bungied his bike to my rack, he sat in my backfiets box, and off we all go and get there safely.
Once the kids were in, I saw a school parent (and Metrofiets co-owner) Phillip Ross, who immediately wanted to see the bike and help figure it out. He noticed that the screws on the shifter were out of alignment, and that's why the chain kept falling off when changing gears. He also pointed out that the brake pads need major adjustments to work correctly.
Love our neighborhood bike gurus and all their friendly advice!!! Tony P. & Phillip made out morning so much easier. It was a crazy fun commute, but, we made it!"
-Carie W-Folz
Share your Walk+Bike inspiration
We'd love to hear what your school is doing to encourage walking and biking this month, especially if you're in a rural or suburban location. Send photos and stories to margaux@btaoregon.org.
Walk+Bike Fundraising Challenge - Go Greta!
This testimonial from Greta Sangolla, a teacher at Spring Creek Elementary School in Eugene, Oregon, really sums up the reasons we all care about making biking safer for more kids. We are grateful and inspired by the dedication we see in teachers, parents, and volunteers. Thank you!
For the past 2 years, I have been organizing the Walk+Bike Challenge events at Spring Creek Elementary School here in Eugene, Oregon. The Walk + Bike Challenge enables students, parents, teachers, and community leaders to raise awareness about the advantages of walking and biking. Healthy families using active transportation benefit everyone by reducing air pollution and health care costs and by increasing neighborhood livability.
With the help and generosity of the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, we have been participating in fun and educational activities such as safety presentations, bike rodeos, and Mobile Museum visits from the Center for Appropriate Transportation. These events encourage students and families to use active trips to travel to and from school. Its about changing your routine, getting outside, out of the car, and living an active, healthy life!
However, the funding for these great activities will not last forever, and I need your help. Please consider donating what you can to keep this program going. Every dollar helps, and goes toward funding these programs all across Oregon. My personal goal is to raise $300 toward the overall goal of $3,000 this season to support communities like the one I teach in, where the majority of students are living in poverty.
Cheers,
Gretta Sagolla
Teaching & Learning Coordinator
Spring Creek Elementary School
Get involved at walknbike.org/support
