Seniors at Sterling Heights High School are ROCKSTARS!

This week's shout-out goes to students that participate in the PEAC Active Transportation Initiative at Sterling Heights High School (SHHS).   All our SHHS students have shown such determination in learning public transit in order to become more independent.  This taste of independence has made them EXCITED to learn safe and effective transportation.  Despite the harsh winter conditions, these students have shown that they want to be more active members within their communities.  Actually, not only active, but they want to be confident members of their communities!

The Active Transportation Initiative teaches students skills such as: telling time, keeping time, learning routes to multiple destinations, memorization of routes, money management, appropriate bus etiquette, safe intersection crossing, and communication with drivers--all skills that these students have continued to excel in. PEAC staff doesn't act alone! Mrs. Valley, the students' teacher, is one ROCKSTAR that definitely deserves a fist-bump for superb teaching!  Mrs. Valley uses continued practice throughout the week to keep the students' minds fresh with PEAC knowledge.  It is such a joy each week to see how much the students remember... and sometimes they remember more than I do!

These students have turned bus and walking skills into methods for being confident and safe while in the community.  We here at PEAC are proud of each and every one of them!   

For our SHHS seniors, continue to use your determination and the skills learned at PEAC to become successful young adults!  Keep pushing yourselves to be great leaders!

MEET OUR STUDENT ROCKSTARS

Alex: Strives to learn traveling skills by asking great questions

Andrew: Confidently shines bright now that he can safely lead his group through intersections by using pedestrian signals 

Bailey: Has learned how to identify landmarks and memorize road intersections 

Maverick: Sets himself as a role model to the other students by using leadership skills within the community

Megan: Successfully uses her map to navigate stores and determine what route the bus will take to-and-from SHHS

Ryan:  Knows the bus route like the back of his hand and is always polite to fellow bus riders

Sedrick: Takes the lead in his group by knowing when to pull the bus cord and keeping track of time on trips

PEAC Goes to Washington

2 years ago, PEAC landed in DC for the National Bike Summit amidst Cherry

Blossoms in full bloom and 70 degree weather. The theme of the summit in 2012 was

“Save Cycling”; it focused primarily on funding for bike infrastructure. Fast forward

to March, 2014. PEAC lands in DC amidst 30 degree temps and a snow storm that

shut down the bus system, regional trains, and the federal government. The theme this

year? United Spokes: Moving Beyond Gridlock. Carolyn Szczepanski of the League of

American Bicyclists described this year’s theme as “evocative to all of all the momentum

happening at the local level and the rising tide of equity as a key topic at the local, state,

and national level. We are heading it to Capital Hill to showcase our efforts to make a

bicycle friendly America for everyone.” This was definitely a theme I could warm up to.


I was so excited to see the League highlighting the power of the BIKE as an agent

of social change and empowerment at their summit. Many of the break-out sessions at

both the Women’s Forum and the Summit this year focused on Use based organizations

that are using bikes to empower underrepresented groups. On Monday, Shannon Galpin,

founder of Mountain 2 Mountain, a non-profit dedicated to empowering women and

girls in conflict zones, shared the work she does to support a women’s cycling team in

Afghanistan, a county where women riding bikes is considered immoral. Kristin Gavin,

founder of Gearing Up, shared the role cycling can play to help women “brake” cycles of

addiction, abuse, poverty, and incarceration at interim houses throughout Philadelphia.

We at PEAC are fortunate to be able to witness the transformative power of the

bike for individuals with disabilities every day. We believe in the power of the bike to

promote physical, mental, and emotional strength. We love the inclusive power of the

bike, and the opportunity it offers families to spend time together, and new friendships to

form. And finally, we are witnesses to the power of the bike as a mode of transportation,

offering individuals with disabilities access to their communities and a spontaneous,

independent lifestyle.


Right now, individuals with disabilities are not represented on the Equity

Advisory Council, and are not part of the League’s equity outreach efforts. Although

very disappointed by this exclusion, we are happy to report that the League is eager to

make changes. Next week, PEAC will be talking with Adonia Lugio, Equity Initative

Manager at the League, about next steps in creating a fully inclusive and inviting League

of American Bicyclists. I can’t wait to attend a Summit that is representative of ALL

cyclists. Here’s to 2015!

Keep Calm and RydeOn!

"Keep Calm and RydeOn," said one of the 74 participants at the 3rd Annual PEAC Ryde-A-Thon Event. "I love anything that reminds me to keep calm," she finished, as she held up her bright red t-shirt. 

However, the 3rd Annual PEAC Ryde-A-Thon was anything but calm; with bands ranging from One Republic to Ke$ha to Jay-Z, ryders spun to upbeat songs for one hour at RydeOn spinning studio in Saline!

This is the 3rd year that RydeOn! Saline has been gracious enough to host a day of spinning with all proceeds benefitting PEAC. PEAC is a non-profit organization located in Ypsilanti, Michigan that empowers individuals with disabilities through cycling; in order to enrich lives by increasing community access, fostering social involvement and promoting healthy lifestyles. Our summer program helps over 30 students in Saline alone, and over 250 students throughout Michigan. Some of our students goals include learning to ride a two-wheeled bike, pedaling and steering a tricycle, and increasing endurance on a tandem.  

             Michael mastered the two-wheel this year, thanks to the help of PEAC Saline site! 

                  Katie LOVES to ride the tandem! This year Katie mastered her goal of balancing independently! 

Gavin Carter, first time participant at the PEAC Ryde-A-Thon said, “Kudos to everyone that came out and challenged themselves at RydeOn 2014!  It was my first time doing a spin class and I must say, although it was a challenge, keeping our determined students in mind gave me the motivation to push myself!” Gavin is looking forward to participating next year and helping the PEAC Saline students.

All participants received one hour of spinning from great RydeOn instructors, a free t-shirt, snacks including apples, granola bars and bananas provided by Busch's in Saline, and hot coffee provided by Bearclaw Coffee.

Participants also received two free raffle tickets to enter into our large prize drawing, which included three gift baskets from Pampered Chef, an autographed "fun." tshirt, hand-knit scarves and Performance Bicycle Gear. 

Due to the generosity of our sponsors, we were also able to give away two prizes per hour to participants just for showing up! THANK YOU, Wheels in Motion, Brecon Grille, Reincarnations Resale, Mac's Seafood restaurant, and Al Petri and Sons Bicycle Shop for these donations.

Due to the generosity of the community, this event has brought in more than $4,500 in donations. The generosity of the community helps to keep our costs low for our families! Because we believe that "Everyone Can Ride," we look to eliminate all barriers that might exclude someone from achieving their cycling goals. 

For more pictures of the event, please check out our facebook page or contact liz@bikeprogram.org or monica@bikeprogram.org! 

It is that time of year again! Time for the epic partnership between PEAC and RydeOn Cycling Studio in Saline!

Join us on February 8th, 2014 (the weekend after the Superbowl) to have a great workout and support PEAC while you're at it! Sign up with a team of four, or individually, for an hour-long session of cycling led by a RydeOn spinning instructor!

A class at RydeOn! includes your own Keiser M3 cycle, fit to your body, and an hour of instruction while enjoying pump-up jams and group support!
(Monica, the author of this blog post, most enjoyed the One Direction song during a tough portion of her first class!)

RydeOn Cycling Studio has been the proud supporter of the PEAC Ryde-a-Thon for three years, and is surrounded by the warm community of Saline.  The Waterman family has made Saline their home, and have found it to be a supportive, inviting place for all. We are so thankful for their support, and look forward to growing together!

This summer, PEAC Saline worked with nearly 40 students from the Saline community at our site between Harvest Elementary and Heritage Middle School. Countless milestones were reached and a seemingly infinite number of smiles were seen. Please help us ensure that this work continues in 2014. 

We would love to see you at the 3rd Annual PEAC Ryde-a-Thon! Please visit the PEAC website to sign up!

Empowerment This Holiday Season

Written by John Waterman:

Helping, supporting and reaching out to people with disabilities is a nice step. However, empowering individuals to become the best they can be is the greatest thing any agency can do. Whenever an individual receives help, assistance, or a lending hand, that support will always need to be given by someone else. When an individual is an active part of getting that support for themselves, and empowering themselves to receive the support they need, they become the chief of their own destiny.

To do that, individuals need to begin with small steps. At PEAC, examples of empowerment are achieving personal milestones: riding with others, connecting with friends. A more advanced level is sharing their challenges with others, advocating for situations in which they can be successful and included and refusing to be excluded or left out.

As individuals become empowered, they realize that it is their responsibility to make sure they are part of society, and part of the solutions to make the world a better place to live.

Empowerment in PEAC was initially a byproduct of the success of our students and our refusal to accept anything but achievement. When our students achieved success, achieved personal milestones, and identified the support they needed to be independent, they grabbed ahold of it and naturally started advocating for themselves.

As an agency, we saw the success of these individuals from students like James Kleimola, Ryan McGraw and Aaron Welty.

The success of these initial pioneers gave us the opportunity to start working with younger students to help them become self-advocates, and empowered through cycling. Knowing the potential and results we had seen, it has given us a roadmap to use with our youngsters.  

The first individuals who were empowered through PEAC became an inspiration to our students and a joy to our students’ parents, who saw the potential of their child with a disability. These youngsters are individuals like Conor, Katie, Kaitlin, and many others, who are now taking steps to make the world a better place to live in.

What began as a program to keep individuals safe and to share the joy of cycling and personal achievement has developed into a chance for individuals to improve the world for all people with disabilities. Cycling is not just about the bike, it’s about the power the bike gives us.

Please consider contributing to this process of empowerment this holiday season. Any gift that you can make will go so far in the life of an individual with a disability. Thank you for your consideration, and happy holidays!

You may make a donation here: http://peac.causevox.com/

PEAC believes in Milestones

Milestones: a significant event or stage in the life, progress, development,or the like of a person, nation, etc.:

Take a moment today to reflect upon your life. What are the milestones that stick out to you? In more recent years, perhaps those milestones were getting married, buying a house, or getting a new job. But when you reach back into the depths of your memory, think about those early milestones. Walking, maybe? Going to school for the first time? What about riding a bike? Usually, that first feeling of freedom is one that is hard to forget!

At PEAC, we believe in reaching milestones. Milestones can be just about anything! When a student sets a goal for him/herself, that becomes the milestone. Take Ethan, for example. Ethan and his family decided that Ethan’s goal this summer would be to improve his steering and braking skills on the tricycle. We worked with Ethan on the track in the parking lot for several weeks in the beginning, before realizing that Ethan would shine on the trail around the park. By using this smaller track with real obstacles (the trees were pretty close to the edge!), Ethan was forced to use the handlebars to steer the bike away from the trees and stay on the course. It was clear that Ethan was having WAY more fun on the trail, too! Ethan accomplished this milestone and his pride was evident.

What happens when a child reaches a milestone? Parents cheer, staff members cheer, the student is beaming! There is joy all around, and it becomes a memory that is hard to forget.

PEAC believes in reaching milestones. Please consider donating today to empower more students to reach these life-changing milestones. Check out the Facebook page this week to see stories of some of our amazing students in action! Your donation will ensure that this work continues throughout the region and that more students are able to rise to new heights.

Michigan Hand Cycling Series ends season with Grand Rapids Marathon

1st Michigan Hand Cycling Race Series Season ends at the Grand Rapids Marathon

By Liz Horvat

Yesterday, the first year of the Michigan Hand Cycling Race Series ended with the culmination of the Grand Rapids Marathon. For a complete breakdown of the results from the Grand Rapids Marathon, click here. This event, held in its 10^th year, has been loved by runners and hand cyclists alike, and was seen as a very fitting end to a great season of racing.

“The Michigan Hand Cycling Race Series is a great opportunity to increase awareness for the sport”, says John Waterman, one of the founders of the Series. Waterman hopes that by picking select races throughout the state, the competition for the sport will increase as well as the spectators and excitement. This year, the races that were included in the series include the 5/3 Marathon, Great Lakes Bay Marathon, Cherry-Roubaix, Festival Sun Crit, Crim, and finally the Grand Rapids Marathon. “We are hoping to provide racers from across the state with an incentive to participate in this great sport,” says Waterman.

Sponsors of the series included Programs to Educate AllCyclists (PEAC) and Fusion Medical Equipment.  The support of these sponsors allowed the top participants to receive over $1,000 in prize money. In order to be eligible to win the overall series, racers must have participated in at least two races throughout the season. Points were based on the best four races of the season.

This year the series included four racers: Daniel Dewitt, Bryan Wilkinson, Brad Baumann, and Glen Ashlock; many of whom have been participating in the sport for years. The competition was fierce throughout the entire year, as can been seen in the final results, which only have first and second place separated by 10 points. We are happy to announce that Daniel Dewitt is the winner of the Michigan Hand Cycling Race Series!

Click here for more information about the Michigan Hand Cycling Race Series rules and regulations. 

If you are interested in participating in this event next year or becoming a sponsor of the series, please contact Liz Horvat (liz@bikeprogram.org) or John Waterman (jwaterman@bikeprogram.org)