Moving up with experience in a Non Profit Bike Shop: Topeka Community Cycle Project

It has been a hot minute since I have posted on this blog (almost a year)!

Just because I haven't been documenting my non-profit experiences on here does not mean they haven't been occurring, by the way. I have been as involved as ever, and want to share the level of involvement I have experienced at the Topeka Community Cycle Project -- since I have now been a part of it for just over two years.

For those who are not familiar with TCCP, here is a brief description and a link to the website:

TCCP Website

TCCP Facebook Page

The Topeka Community Cycle Project is an organization dedicated to:

1. Promoting self-reliance, sustainability, and healthful living in Topeka.
2. Recycling, repurposing, and distribution of bicycles.

The main program offered is Earn-a-Bike (EAB), in which individuals may volunteer their time at the shop fixing bikes, cleaning and organizing, or helping take in donations -- in return, they receive a bicycle to keep.

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When I started volunteering at TCCP back in 2012, I had very limited knowledge of bicycles. I wandered around and watched the mechanics work their magic and pretended to be helpful. It didn't take me long to realize that I actually preferred facilitating people and helping get more organizational tasks accomplished.

Kid's bikes are given to children that are 12 years old or younger. Something I would help with was sizing these children with a bike, and having another volunteer make sure it was in working order before we sent anyone home with it.

It is rewarding to give young people bicycles, because I knew this could be the beginning of a healthy enjoyable childhood. It reminds me of the beginning of my bicycling experience, growing up with my dad riding with me every weekend.

I helped out at the shop for a year before I was invited to become a part of the Operations Committee, a group that meets once a month to schedule who will be opening shop and discuss shop matters. This was fall 2013. For another school year, I helped out as a "second," the second in command to the shop opener. 

It wasn't until May 2014 that I opened the shop on my own. Since then, I have taken a few turns each month to go in and open the shop, monitoring activity on open shop days. I still don't know everything (or even close to everything) about shop activity or bicycles, but that isn't a problem. I am there to make sure that the shop rules are followed and that everything runs smoothly. I often have another volunteer as a second; they help log volunteer hours and greeting people at the front of the shop. There are rarely days when another operations committee member is not present for open shop with me.

Other random events take place at the shop on days there isn't open shop. One example is a demonstration over the summer called "Lights, Brights, and Reflective Shennanigans". This was an event held in the evening to show the public different types of bike lights and gear to be visible at nighttime. I sent out a press release and made an event on the TCCP Facebook page for it as  well.

Over the summer, I was asked to chair the Events Committee in preparation for the upcoming 5th Annual Flat Tire fundraiser. More recently, I have become the person in charge of the event. This event is more-or-less a party to celebrate the shop and its volunteers. It usually consists of a band or two, a bar, and cyclists. There are always specially-designed Flat Tire t-shirts that are screen-printed at the event.

In addition to Events Committee, I have been invited to serve as Secretary on the Executive Board and will take minutes at the board meetings for the remainder of 2014. I enjoy learning more about the upkeep and behind-the-scenes information that I did not have access to before when I was only a part of the operations committee.

The past year has really been quite a change with my involvement here. Sometimes I still feel unprepared or even unqualified to participate in the ways I have, but I do enjoy learning how it works as I go. There are numerous other privileges, new friends made, rides taken, and skills learned that have also made my experience at TCCP over the past two years special. I anticipate spending the rest of my time in Topeka involved with the shop in some way.

How To Get Involved In Community Service While In College

This is a podcast done by my classmate, Jena Dean and I. We wanted to give listeners a few options on how they can actively participate in service abroad, and in the community, while in college. We talk about AmeriCorps, Alternative Breaks, Non Profit Organizations, and Study Abroad opportunities, all of which can be made to fit your schedule and are all provided here at Washburn University.

Holiday Fundraisers Coming Up for Three Local Non Profits in Topeka

The holiday season is quickly approaching. In the next two weeks alone, I have 3 events I have committed not only myself, but my Sorority Chapter, to attend. I am very attached to Junior Achievement, of course, but there are two other organizations that I am passionate about as well.

The Topeka Performing Arts Center provides free programming to elementary students, and every year they have a Gingerbread Homes for the Holidays event, in which elaborate houses are made, and people can also make their own! I will be bringing a few women on the 16th and 17th of this month to volunteer at this event to help monitor the gingerbread house-building tables and clean up in-between projects. There are a few women that I admire, who are great volunteers at TPAC and have inspired me to get involved, as well.

TPAC Gingerbread Homes for the Holidays

Shawnee County Court Appointed Special Advocates is probably the non-profit closest to my heart, because it is my Sorority's national philanthropy. They find volunteers to go and speak for children in court, that may not truly have anyone on their side if they did not have their CASA. We support them with a few fundraisers a year at Washburn, but always help with their annual Holiday Home Tour, in which several nice houses in Topeka get decorated and tickets are sold to go through and tour them. Thetas volunteer at one house as "docents" all weekend, monitoring the rooms and mingling with the guests. It is a great way to meet CASAs, Theta Alums, and other influential people in Topeka. This year, we will be helping on the 23rd and 24th for the Holiday Homes Tour.

CASA Holiday Homes Tour

The third event we are partaking in is of course the Junior Achievement Benefit Auction. It will be the evening of the 23rd, and I have gotten several women, along with some men from a few fraternities on campus to come to the auction and monitor the tables, while doing whatever else we need to do to keep the auction running smoothly. The larger items will have to be carried up to the stage, so I imagine that will be part of the job. I am excited to see how it goes, and am also looking forward to how much we are going to raise for JA! This Facebook page has some relevant information to this event:

Junior Achievement "Invest in Success" Benefit Auction

New Responsibilities as an Intern

For the past few months, I have been working mainly as a volunteer, and helped with the Junior Achievement of Kansas "Invest in Success" Benefit Auction, to take place on November 23rd. Recently, I have been given some opportunities to get involved with the volunteer recruiting and programming of JA. I have been finding classroom information from all of the elementary schools in USD 501, finding the teachers, classrooms, grades, and students in each, so that JA can start asking teachers and planning on getting programming into those classes in the spring.

I have also gotten the chance to begin helping with a project for the 2013 Business Laureate Announcement. Every year, JA announces Laureates to be put in the Junior Achievement Business Laureate Hall of Fame for their contribution to Junior Achievement or the Topeka Community. It is to inspire students to go big and try to make a difference out in the world. I think it is not only a great way to recognize great people in our community, but it is great publicity for Junior Achievement, and may even inspire someone in the future to follow in their footsteps.

I, as a neutral nonmember of Junior Achievement, have to administer a survey to the board, because I am evidently unaffiliated with Junior Achievement (a.k.a they don't pay me). I'm a little confused why they are having me do it; I think it is to just get an idea of things they are doing right, and things they could do better. It is good to get feedback, because criticism really does even help good programs improve. It will be interesting to sift through all of the opinions and learn from them to see what works and what doesn't, when running this particular non profit organization.

Why YOU Should Consider Becoming a JA Volunteer

It is safe to say, that if I did  not have this opportunity to be an intern at JA, I would never have become a volunteer. I just filled the spots that they were missing, and am doing anything they ask me to do. I want to encourage and inspire others discover that Junior Achievement is so fun, yet serious. It can make a huge impact in students academics and help them realize the importance of school, goals, and a future career. JA usually finds volunteers from within businesses around time, usually banks or corporations. Normally, they still pay you for the time you spend teaching JA. The time spent, though, is only one hour a week for six weeks. It's pretty simple! Such a small time commitment can really make a huge difference. kansasja.org  has the most current contact information for JA in the Topeka and surrounding areas. Even if you're not sure, give them a call!

Today, I gave my second session at Landon Middle School, and a first session at Eisenhower Middle School. I encountered some bumps along the way, but all in all, they were good sessions. The Eisenhower class was in the morning, and it was a smaller class than I had at Landon. There were only 12 students present, so it was easy to keep their attention. It wasn't as good as my first run at Landon, but I think I got across to some of the students, at least. For the last 10 minutes I shared my experience so far in college (academically), and they asked me questions about school. Mrs. Arnold, the class teacher, was very helpful in this area. We talked about how the foundations learned in middle and high school really help you later on.

At Landon, my class was extra rowdy. It was hard to keep their focus, and their teacher had a headache and was communicating with them through the projector screen with Microsoft Word. I would try to talk, and see everyone's eyes shift toward the screen, look back, and discovered that he was just adding his own commentary. Safe to say, we made it through about half of the activities that were planned for that session. Oh, did I mention, half of the class left in the middle of the session because of an honor roll assembly. So the rowdiness did commence at that point.

Just another day as a Junior Achievement Volunteer.

Networking with Non-Profits

The Westboro Ride Against Hate was a success! People of all ages met up at the Washburn bell tower earlier this evening, decorated their bikes with glow sticks, and else off into the night. We had a few stops on the way, one of which was the Equality (Rainbow) House across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church.

We talked to a member of the organization, Planting Peace, who actually painted the house. This organization raises awareness and funds programs for everything from same-sex marriage to environmentally friendly endeavors. It was interesting to hear the things Planting Peace did, and members of our group were interested in doing more. Sometimes there are connections made between different organizations, and that makes it so easy to hear about events, have a supportive group, and to also publicize each other's events. 

It's safe to say that being a member of a non profit has some perks. You get to hear about a bunch of other awesome organizations that are very inspiring and give you something you want to share with others. You get to be "in the know" of more things happening in the community, by other non profits. 

First JA Press Conference

Okay, so it wasn't an exclusively JA press conference, but it was definitely exciting! This past Wednesday, I went with the JA of Kansas President, Amy, to the Topeka Country Club. There, we met many other leaders of prominent non-profits from the Topeka area. 

The big news was being announced by Topeka Gives, an organization that fundraises as Topekans, for Topeka non-profits. Last summer, Topeka Gives had a huge fundraiser where $189,000 was raised in one day thanks to Topeka donors.

Evidently, the fundraiser was such a success that they have decided to have it again next summer! It is set for June 3, 2014 and that made Amy very excited. I still don't know how successful the event was for JA individually, but I am interested to hear how preparation works for an event like this! 

I'm still learning about the ways of these non-profit organizations over here, but I am literally learning and experiencing new things every day!