Volunteers Building Communities

Mary Sullivan

On Sunday, I visited a small bicycle repair shop on a busy thoroughfare in my very busy city to visit a young friend who was working for the afternoon. I'd heard a lot about this store and wanted to see how it operated.

My young friend was volunteering for the day, which she does for five or six hours one Sunday out of every month. Given that she is working on her Masters in Environmental Studies and has two paying jobs to support herself, I'm impressed that she still manages to find time to donate. Sundays are Women and Transgender days. Men are allowed at any other times that the store is open, but not on Sunday afternoons. Why? Because this bicycle shop doesn't repair bikes for you; rather they teach you how to repair your own bikes. The logic behind Women and Trans days is that women may be intimidated doing mechanical jobs in front of men, unfortunate but quite possibly true. The little shop was packed with women.

Women had bikes set up at stations, while my young friend walked from station to station directing what needed to be done to fix various problems. The cost to the women? Any parts used needed to be paid for, plus whatever small donation that could be made to keep the shop running. The prices for parts were extremely reasonable because they are all donated.

A couple of women sat at a worktable with wheels in clamps in front of them learning how to fix them.

I was impressed by the depth of knowledge my friend has. I had no idea bikes were so complex.

In the small kitchen behind the repair area, another couple of volunteers cooked lunch--chickpea curry, because all they had were chickpeas and rice. I had brought a snack for my friend. The next time I visit, I'll bring staples for their kitchen ;-)

The basement was full of broken bikes, donations from people who would no longer be using them. Some of the bikes that were too far gone for repair were cannibalized for parts. Once a month, volunteers meet at the shop to repair bikes that still have a lot of life in them. They repair these bikes then put them up for sale at reasonable prices. Usually, the volunteers end up pulling an all-nighter to get as many bikes repaired as possible. Someone cooks dinner for all of them on a shoestring budget.

I am SO impressed that so many of these young people give so freely of their time to help others. They are passionate about putting more bicycles on the road so there are fewer cars out there. None of the people who work there while the shop is open are paid for their time. I salute their passion and their willingness to give.

I saw a strong sense of community, of giving and sharing knowledge, in a place where women were comfortable learning about the mechanics of keeping their own bicycles repaired. I left feeling good that this tiny segment of the next generation is toiling to make our world a better place.

Volunteering has long been a wonderful way to take a little of our time, energy, and expertise and share it with others.

Do you know of any communities in which volunteers give of themselves so generously? Are you involved in volunteer work? What does it do for you? Does it leave you with a sense of accomplishment or satisfaction? I would love to hear about your experiences.