Waterman's window: A word from the Head Honcho
John Waterman, Executive Director
This fall, students from PEAC are again advocating in Lansing to improve Michigan for cyclists. Our advocates, Connor, Katie, James and Abbey testified in front of the Judiciary Committee supporting the Vulnerable User Bill. These young advocates would like the same penalties for hitting a construction worker to apply to a motorist hitting an individual using a mobility device.
Next, Shawn and James headed back to Lansing to push forward a bill that will legalize the use of an extended right arm to signal a right turn. This is the method that PEAC teaches to students. The students' testimony reached an extremely supportive group of legislators. Instead of pushing the vote back to next week as planned, Chairman Schmidt proposed a vote and it passed 13-0. This common sense legislation and the straightforward discussion from our students made the difference.
These legislative victories are just steps in the right direction and will be followed up in the next few months as these bills move in the long journey to becoming a law.
In other news, Liz Horvat completed her first Celebration of Cycling as Ride Director. We are very proud of her, as we had more riders out to the event than ever before. The ride was a great success!
PEAC is so lucky to have great staff. This year, PEAC transitioned immediately from Summer Program to Celebration of Cycling to Active Transportation. Our staff's dedication to their programs, in addition to support from all of us, has made this transition smoother than ever.
We are excited to be working with students and teachers in the Wayne, Macomb and Oakland County districts during Active Transportation this year. The program is off to a great start and we are excited to see the program evolve.
Kid's Corner
Kaitlin Barrett-Huff is one fierce twelve year-old. Through the years, Kaitlin has worked on a number of bikes, including the hand cycle and the tandem.
This summer, Kaitlin has been working on endurance. Through strengthening her arms on the hand cycle, she hopes to accomplish her goal of making a basket in one of her basketball games this fall.
At the Celebration of Cycling, Kaitlin rode 12 MILES on the hand cycle, a fantastic accomplishment! She was all smiles at the finish line. We are so excited for her and can't wait to see her future accomplishments!
Milestones Reached at the 21st Annual Celebration of Cycling
Liz Horvat, Director of Development
This event would not have been a success without the support of our Sponsors including Culligan Water, Crescent Moon massages, Healthy and Fit Magazine, Downriver Cycling Club, Dance Marathon at the University of Michigan, Al Petri and Sons Bicycle Shop, Wright and Filippis, Dr. Donald Wurtzel, DDS, TreeFort Bikes, Wheels in Motion, Push America, RydeOn! spinning studio and DALMAC. Please consider supporting these organizations while you are out and about and tell them that PEAC sent you!
Please join us for the 22nd Annual Celebration of Cycling as we celebrate 10th Anniversary of Programs to Educate All Cyclists! We hope to see you on September 13th, 2014 where we are encouraging ALL participants to “GO ABOVE AND BEYOND” to reach personal milestones!
If you would like to be involved in the planning for the 22nd Annual Celebration of Cycling, please email Liz at liz@bikeprogram.org.
On to the Next Thing: Active Transportation Initiative
Laura Padalino, Director of Active Transportation
The Active Transportation Program (ATP) is up and running for the 2013/2014 school year! Seniors at Sterling Heights High School came to day one with a list of skills they wanted to learn this year on bikes. Their list included: how to put a tire on a bike, signaling turns, how to ride a two wheel bike, and adjusting brakes. Their initiative is awesome, and we'll be talking about each one of these skills and more this fall! This year marks the third year of ATP, and we are currently working in Warren, Wyandotte, and Farmington Hills. The first five weeks of this school-based program will focus on cycling skills, and we'll begin teaching students how to ride the city bus at the end of October. More on our student accomplishments to come soon! For questions about this program, email laura@bikeprogram.org.
Local Fundraising: PEAC's Sustainability
Monica Walls, Director of Summer Program
As PEAC looks to expand in new locations, we are paying closer attention to the funding base supporting our current sites. We are so thankful for the generous sponsors we have supporting our sites, and are making a commitment to supplement these sponsorships with local fundraising.
Throughout the year, each of our PEAC sites will host a local fundraiser to support the summer program site. This November, check out the PEAC Taylor Bowling Fundraiser!
Have an idea for a local fundraiser in your area? Please contact Monica, our Director of Summer Program, at monica@bikeprogram.org.
Spooky Ride: 2013's Last Family Ride!
Spooky Ride is the last Family Ride of the year! On Friday, October 25th, we will gather at Willow Metropark for two loops. The first loop will take off at 7:00pm and will involve trick-or-treating along the way. The second loop will be the SPOOKY part! We will put on headlamps and head out on the trail, where scary monsters and zombies will jump out as we ride!
Please email Laura (laura@bikeprogram.org) to let us know you're coming! We need to make sure we have enough equipment and staff. We can't wait to see you! Happy Halloween!
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