Macon Magazine

OCIE LEWIS "WHEN BIKE WALK MACON STARTED IN 2015,WE SAW MACON NEEDED AN EARN-A-BIKE PROGRAM. IT WAS EXCITING WHEN ERIC MYLE FIRST SAID CENTENARY COMMUNITY MINISTRIES WANTED TO START ONE AND WE'VE STAYED ON BOARD SINCE, PARTNERING WITH BIKE RIDES, BIKE PARTIES, OUR OPEN STREETS EVENTS AND OTHERWISE. I LOVE WHAT THEY'RE DOING. I LOVE WHEN SOMEONE COMES TO US WANTING TO DONATE A BIKE SOMEWHERE, AND THERE'S RE-CYCLE TO SEND THEM TO." – RACHEL UMANA OF BIKE WALK MACON especially credits Bike Tech bicycle shop at 3003 Vineville Ave. for its involvement. at is where Re-Cycle's main mechanic Lu Hawthorne is employed and the shop is owned by Bobby Schorr, who Wilson said is fully behind Re-Cycle's program and also Macon's youth-oriented training and mentoring program, the Learn & Earn Bike Shop. "Our slogan is 'Building Community through Building Bikes,' " she said. "Community is our first goal with people helping people in an inclusive environment and with a meal being the great equalizer." WESLEY GLEN MINISTRIES is a big part of Re-Cycle Macon and reflects efforts to build a widely diverse community. Wesley Glen provides adults with developmental disabilities both day programs and live- in environments to help them with skills and confidence to live happy, full lives as contributing community members. Many from Wesley Glen take part in Re-Cycle's co-op and activities, though few receive bikes. e two organizations share the desire to break barriers and build community. "One of our biggest goals is to have those we serve included and involved in community in many ways and places," said Wesley Glen's Julie Rogers. "Re-Cycle gives the opportunity to build relationships with another population in the city. ey also learn a thing or two about bikes if they want to. One of our guys is working now to start a bike club. ey love taking part and it's very empowering for them." TERESA KANE is 50 and has been on the streets since 2016. She came by bus to Macon from Gainesville over a year ago seeking work. at hasn't happened. Someone did give her a bike, though, and now she depends on Re-Cycle to keep it going. She's a co-op regular. "Macon is tough on bikes," she said. "e way the roads are with all the construction and debris a lot can happen to tires and all. But you can get help here. ey can teach you, get you parts and do more if something happens. Besides my own getting around, I volunteer at the Daybreak Center and my bike makes it so I can get there. If you prioritize your day, a bike lets you get around pretty well. Some days may be cold, but the trip is quicker on a bike. You can handle that." MACON NATIVE CLIFFORD SANDERS, 67, said he's ridden a bike since he was a kid – when he'd put playing cards on the spokes and sound like a motorcycle. Riding is good exercise for his aging legs, he said, and it builds stamina that adds healthy years to his life. He rides to work and all over Macon. He comes to the co-op occasionally for bike fixes and agrees that Macon streets can be tough on tires. "I never got a bike for Christmas but somehow somebody always gave me an old one or I traded for one," he said. "Once I found out they fix bikes here I came right on. I ride so much I'm always needing inner tubes or patches. ey've got real bicycle men here who know how to do stuff I can't do and provide things I can't afford." "I'M HAPPY where things have come for Re-Cycle and for the co-op's first year," Myle said. "If we lost funding tomorrow and the work flopped, I think it's amazing what's already been accomplished. But it's absolutely incredible seeing people come together and volunteers and people who've gotten bikes becoming leaders and taking ownership. ey have opinions and ideas and care deeply – that's a benchmark. People wonder how they can help Re- Cycle and folks like Jack and Teresa. Well, come see. See the bikes and see the bigger picture. Come ask Ocie, he can tell you what's going on." F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 2 0 | M ACO N M AG A Z I N E.CO M 8 1

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