Performing The Heavy Lift

I started down this path somewhat unintentionally. I mean, where I am now is not how it started. Which is true for almost everyone. I've volunteered and "given back" for over 24 years so I guess I was destined to be where I am. There are no coincidences.

As you can see from previous posts I run a youth cycling nonprofit called Triangle Bikeworks. It started out as a test to see if youth would be interested in cycling long distances. 

Spoiler Alert: They Were

But it turned out not to be so much about biking distances or the thrill of getting on a bike again (sorry avid cyclists, but getting back on a bike is just the start of it). It's more about a sense of self-awareness, engaging with other American communities, building bonds with each other and self discovery. Yes, there is a sense of accomplishment to have cycled 500-1700 miles. Don't get me wrong on that part. But it's what happens between mile 1 and mile X that the magic really happens.

I recount our first tour of the Underground Railroad when the student-cyclists visited Brices Crossroads. It was how they held their heads high after hearing of the heroic Colored Troops that defended the Union Army under Brig. Gen. Samuel Sturgis against Confederate Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and his cavalry corps of about 2,000 men. Compare the lesson here, normally taught in school, and the education they received from the National Park ranger.

Up until that moment they didn't know that "Thanks to a series of defensive actions by a brigade of United States Colored Troops, most of Sturgis's army was able to escape almost certain capture."

With that in mind, I'm asking you for help. Those of you in my network and beyond can help me do some heavy lifting . Triangle Bikeworks needs volunteers and Board Members to taking youth to heights I see them capable of reaching.  If you, or anyone you know, are interested in volunteering signup and we'll get busy  transforming lives, one revolution at a time.

 We make lasting memories and opportunities for understanding available to the student-cyclists of Triangle Bikeworks. Program activities build confidence and perseverance they'll carry forward to their next challenges. Also, an education and awareness not taught in the classroom. For youth cyclist, Jeimy, the beauty of one of our programs is clear when she explains her stopover at the actual home of an Abolitionist who purchased his residence from a slave owner.