As an international student at Kirkwood who came to study here on a fellowship program called the Community College Initiative, my CCI peers and I are required to complete 75 volunteer hours during our stay.
In the beginning of the fall semester, our program coordinator, Elizabeth O’Brien, introduced us to many different events and organizations where we could volunteer. I have been spending my time volunteering recently at the Chain Reaction Bike Hub.
CRBH is a non-profit organization that receives bikes as donations, refurbishes them, and provides them to the local community. It also helps save the environment by keeping bikes from the landfill.
It is a donation and volunteer-based organization, so all the people who run it are volunteers sparing some of their time to do good for the community.
When I first came there with my CCI peers, we did metal scrapping of the bikes that can no longer be used or repaired. It somehow reminded me of my childhood memories because my late grandpa used to be a bike mechanic.
Doing that gave me a sense of familiarity and was the reason why I came back to volunteer there on my own. There were roles I could choose from and easier tasks that I could handle.
I helped inflate the tubes of the bikes. Another day, I helped test the bikes that had been repaired by riding them. One day, I helped create an inventory of the tools they had. The regular volunteers there like Dave and David, whom I usually meet on Saturday, are also very helpful. They will gladly teach me about bikes and it is always fun to chat with them.
Volunteering was initially a requirement but it evolved to be something enjoyable to me. I got to learn about Cedar Rapids and its people.
The more I spend my time at CRBH, the more I learn about its history and their programs. I even learned that CRBH has a solid connection with Kirkwood because it was in fact inspired by previous CCI student’s bike share project, Gege Wael (2022) who collaborated with Molly Schwarz, the Academic Advising Director at Kirkwood who is also a board member at CRBH.
I also learned about the earn-a-bike program. It is a program that allows volunteers like me to get a bike for free by spending 12 hours volunteering there. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I hope spring comes soon so I can ride my bike and explore the bike trails in Cedar Rapids. If you are interested in getting a bike, go to www.crbikehub.org or email crbh.volunteer@gmail.com.
Categories: Contributed, Opinion
