ODS Health cleans bikes for 2012 Holiday Bike Drive
By Alison Graves, Executive Director
It should come as no surprise to learn that dentists are experts at cleaning bicycles. Their enthusiasm for clearing cogs, chains, and other bicycle-based crevices from dirt and grime seems embedded in their very being. So it was with great joy and appreciation that I accepted the ODS Health invitation to bring a few recently donated Holiday Bike Drive bikes to their annual holiday party last weekend.
This was the second year in a row that the Community Cycling Center was included as part of the event, held at George Passadore’s garage in southeast Portland. The venue has a 1950’s diner theme, complete with a soda fountain, jukebox, and checkerboard floor, providing a perfect backdrop for rolling up sleeves to get a handful of bikes ready for next year’s Holiday Bike Drive.
ODS, a healthcare company, has become a supporter thanks to Jonathan Nicholas, Vice President of ODS, who has witnessed our work since its founding in 1994 through his work with Cycle Oregon. The many ways our efforts intersect are like the parts of a bicycle, all working in different ways, but adding up to momentum and direction.
Following the presentation of a generous $1000 donation by Jonathan from ODS, I spoke about the challenge and importance of addressing the roots of health disparities and how that is shifting the ways we work. The Community Cycling Center has helped thousands of children and adults gain access to bicycles, but we are beginning to shift our own gears to include strategies that help shift us from a direct service model to a community change model. We will be sharing more about what that means to us in the new year. Until then, we remain thankful for our supporters and hopeful about the many ways we build a healthy community with bicycles.