History

Our History

The Earn-a-Bike program was started on January 23, 2001 as a volunteer effort to serve the asset development needs of young people living in northern York County, Maine. The program invited kids eight to eighteen years of age to work alongside adults, recycling discarded bicycles for others in need of two-wheeled transportation, and then recycling a bicycle for themselves. The Earn-a-Bike program proved how caring adults, as mentors, could positively affect the self-awareness and social skills of kids. The philosophical core of the program was grounded in developmental asset building and mentoring best practices. Most of the youth involved were referred by social workers, through co-founder Andy Greif’s connections to the educational and social service community. These youth were economically disadvantaged - what society refers to as “at-risk.” The attached newspaper articles tell stories about how the program has impacted the lives of young people.

On February 25, 2002 the Earn-a-Bike program moved to a new home, the Alfred Osher Center (aka Community Services Branch) of the Northern York County Family YMCA in downtown Biddeford, Maine. During the years it operated as a YMCA program, the Earn-a-Bike program expanded to become the Community Bicycle Center. Additional youth developmental asset building programs were offered through the Center’s educational bike maintenance shop including: drop-in bicycle maintenance, international outreach (sending bicycles to families in Jamaica and Armenia), community service opportunities, bicycle fabrication classes, vocational experiences, indoor group cycling and roller classes, custom contracted programs, and an intergenerational charity fundraising cycling team. All programs involved kids and adults working together in learning, fitness, and self-actualization. Unfortunately, the Alfred Osher Center closed its doors in June 2005.

The Biddeford Recreation Department has become the fiscal agent of the Community Bicycle Center and provides space and utilities for theeducational bike shop. The new shop opened on October 3, 2005 to offer programs to meet the needs of local youth and community. After school, drop-in use of the bike shop is offered each afternoon for bike repair and community service projects. Additionally, the CBC led the coordination of Bikes for the Bayou, a project that sent 417 refurbished bicycles to people in Biloxi, Mississippi in need of transportation. Our youth/adult Charity Cycling Team recently completed its seventh Trek Across Maine for the American Lung Association of Maine. The CBC incorporated in December 2005 and earned its 501c3 non-profit public benefit corporation status in April 2006.





	Our History The Earn-a-Bike program was started on January 23, 2001 as a volunteer effort to serve the asset development needs of young people living in northern York County, Maine. The program invited kids eight to eighteen years of age to work alongside adults, recycling discarded bicycles for others in need of two-wheeled transportation, and then recycling a bicycle for themselves. The Earn-a-Bike program proved how caring adults, as mentors, could positively affect the self-awareness and social skills of kids. The philosophical core of the program was grounded in developmental asset building and mentoring best practices. Most of the youth involved were referred by social workers, through co-founder Andy Greif’s connections to the educational and social service community. These youth were economically disadvantaged - what society refers to as “at-risk.” The attached newspaper articles tell stories about how the program has impacted the lives of young people. On February 25, 2002 the Earn-a-Bike program moved to a new home, the Alfred Osher Center (aka Community Services Branch) of the Northern York County Family YMCA in downtown Biddeford, Maine. During the years it operated as a YMCA program, the Earn-a-Bike program expanded to become the Community Bicycle Center. Additional youth developmental asset building programs were offered through the Center’s educational bike maintenance shop including: drop-in bicycle maintenance, international outreach (sending bicycles to families in Jamaica and Armenia), community service opportunities, bicycle fabrication classes, vocational experiences, indoor group cycling and roller classes, custom contracted programs, and an intergenerational charity fundraising cycling team. All programs involved kids and adults working together in learning, fitness, and self-actualization. Unfortunately, the Alfred Osher Center closed its doors in June 2005. The Biddeford Recreation Department has become the fiscal agent of the Community Bicycle Center and provides space and utilities for theeducational bike shop. The new shop opened on October 3, 2005 to offer programs to meet the needs of local youth and community. After school, drop-in use of the bike shop is offered each afternoon for bike repair and community service projects. Additionally, the CBC led the coordination of Bikes for the Bayou, a project that sent 417 refurbished bicycles to people in Biloxi, Mississippi in need of transportation. Our youth/adult Charity Cycling Team recently completed its seventh Trek Across Maine for the American Lung Association of Maine. The CBC incorporated in December 2005 and earned its 501c3 non-profit public benefit corporation status in April 2006.