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World Bicycle Relief gets local boost
(by Sue Hoffman - April 28, 2011)
World Bicycle Relief gets local boost
By SUE HOFFMAN
A bicycle is an empowering tool, Lisa Kollins, of South Russell, said recently.
"People in America use bicycles for fun," she said. "They don't realize they're a lifeline to education, health care and a livelihood."
Ms. Kollins is coordinating a local fundraiser for World Bicycle Relief, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing access to independence and livelihood through the power of bicycles.
The Cleveland premiere of an award-winning documentary film, "With My Own Two Wheels," will be shown at a benefit for World Bicycle Relief at 7 p.m. May 3 at the Cedar Lee Theatre, 2163 Lee Road in Cleveland Heights.
"The film weaves together the experiences of five individuals from California, Zambia, India, Ghana and Guatemala into a single story about how bicycles can change the world, one pedal stroke at a time," Ms. Kollins said.
Filmmaker Jacob Seigel-Bottner will introduce the film and lead a post-show discussion, she said. "In addition, we'll be raffling off a membership to the Ohio City Bicycle Co-op, two high-end wheels, two children's bikes, T-shirts from World Bicycle Relief and gift certificates from local bike shops."
Tickets for the benefit are $10 for adults, $8 for students and senior citizens. Raffle tickets are $5 or five for $20. All proceeds will be donated to World Bicycle Relief.
Founded by SRAM Corp. in 2005 to help the people of Sri Lanka after the tsunami, World Bicycle Relief now focuses on developing communities in Zambia and Kenya. The organization has provided more than 70,000 bicycles to health care workers, schoolchildren and women while creating local factories and training more than 700 mechanics to repair the bicycles specially designed for African terrain.
The organization's latest initiative is the Bicycles for Educational Empowerment Program, which is providing bicycles to schoolchildren, teachers and school volunteers in rural Zambia. About 70 percent of the student bicycles are allocated to girls in recognition of their unique challenges in accessing education, Ms. Kollins said.
That project has especially touched the heart of Ms. Kollins, who has been family education director at Suburban Temple-Kol Ami in Beachwood for several years.
Girls in Africa have numerous chores that can interfere with schooling, she said. "If we can get a bicycle into the hands of a girl, it could raise an entire family out of poverty."
Ms. Kollins' brother, Michael, is chief operating officer of World Bicycle Relief, headquartered in Chicago. Mr. Kollins has spent the last two years working on bicycle relief projects in Africa.
"His work has inspired me," Ms. Kollins said. 'He has been living and working in Africa to create a better world."
Ms. Kollins, a longtime volunteer at Camp Sunrise in Columbus, for children impacted by AIDS or HIV, said her family has always been involved in social justice. "I never quite imagined it would take us to Africa. Michael's work is now focused on Zambia and Kenya, distributing bicycles to different villages."
"World Bicycle Relief realized there were lots of organizations to help people, but no one was helping them move forward," Ms. Kollins said. "Bicycles are low-cost, invaluable tools. My brother was surprised how much they changed people's lives.
"The organization designed a special bike for Africa. It's rugged and there's room to carry things. They're working with other nonprofit organizations, and nongovernmental organizations to get bikes to the people who need them."
World Bicycle Relief has found that bicycles can triple the efficiency of health care workers, helping them deliver medicine to people more quickly, Ms. Kollins said. Girls, who had a 1 1/2-hour walk to school, now have a 20-minute bicycle ride. "This gives them more time to get chores done and study." They're also faster and less vulnerable to attack on bicycle than during long walks, she said.
"I am extremely pleased, but not surprised, to see my family work together to help World Bicycle Relief with our first event ever in the Cleveland metropolitan area," Mr. Kollins said. "Given that the program they are helping support is designed to help allow rural schoolgirls in Sub-Saharan Africa to get to schools safely, easily and quickly, it is no surprise they are interested."
For more information, call Ms. Kollins at 440-796-1605.
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