Hi All!
Shortly after moving to Arlington, I stumbled upon Phoenix Bikes while trying to find a way to meet people and get involved with my community, and I immediately fell in love.
The non-profit bike shop engages youth through their build-a-bike/earn-a-bike program, providing youth not only with a bicycle, but the ability to build their own after learning basic bicycle maintenance and building a bicycle for a community member in need. Phoenix Bikes also sponsors a youth cycling team, as well as adventure cycling and other education programs for youth.
I was ecstatic and proud to the join the Phoenix Bikes family in the fall of 2019 as a member of the Board of the Directors. We are fortunate to have a dedicated staff, and team of volunteers that work with the youth, repair/wrench bikes in the shop, and support events.
Like many non-profits this year, Phoenix has been impacted by COVID-19. The shop was temporarily closed due to safety concerns, and later opened by appointment only. Youth engagement has moved online, and fundraising events had to be canceled and modified.
Please help me in supporting this great organization as they continue to support the community. I'll be riding 100 miles over the weekend of August 1-2 as part of Team Sticky Fingers. (Interested in joining our team - let me know!)
Phoenix Bikes Raise + Ride: Sizzling Summer Century
This year's Sizzling Summer Century ride will be a little different than normal, but that's 2020! We're changing our summer ride to make sure everyone stays safe and socially distant, but also that we re-connect this community through the joy of cycling. Your challenge this year is to come up with a ride that challenges you and to raise money to support the mission of Phoenix Bikes. You can ride the full 100 mile century on the Washington and Old Dominion Trail--our typical route--or you can make your neighborhood trails into a race course. Whether it's the most mileage in the smallest area or the longest ride in a single day, we'll be giving out amazing prizes to the individuals or teams with the most creative ride. This summer ride is also a peer-to-peer fundraiser for Phoenix Bikes, and we encourage you to reach out to your friends and family to help fundraise. We're also giving prizes to the most successful fundraisers! Last year, you raised over $27,000 total, so let's try and top that this year. We can't wait to get rolling!
The mission of Phoenix Bikes is harnessing the power of bikes to help youth build passion, purpose, and a place in the community. We are an Arlington nonprofit that uniquely combines youth educational programs with a full-service professional bike shop and retail store. Since our launch, we have had the opportunity to engage thousands of teens, with over 900 earning their own bikes so far. Local youth, ages 12 to 17, are invited to participate in bike refurbishment and retail operations as they contribute to the daily operations of the Phoenix Bikes shop located in South Arlington, VA. Through these experiences, our students are not only given the opportunity to learn technical mechanical skills and put in hard work, but also develop their problem solving abilities and gain self confidence.