A foreign student is seated at the top of a bicycle supplied by helping the bicycle shuttle, who lends the bikes to those who need transport to work during the summer. ABC will sell excess bikes from their inventory during a future fundraising to support the program.
Help the bicycle shuttle (ABC) – Mariner Bethel Global Methodist Church program to provide bikes to those who need local transport, in particular J1 students working at the beach – this week has started to inspect dozens of bikes given and equip them with security equipment.
“Our credo is anyone who wants to work should be able to have transport to work, even if it is something as fundamental as cycling – 95% are J1 students,” said Dave Sykes, who organizes the program.
The volunteers met on Tuesday March 4 to make an inventory, inspect 300 bikes and recondition them.
“Each year, we all bring them out. We cross them and give them another visual inspection, and we label them using a color tag system so that we know the state of the bikes. Although the shop is empty, we take out the brooms and we clean it, “he said, referring to the program storage store on the property of Mariner at Ocean View.
Community financial support is necessary, said Sykes.
“Security is our priority N ° 1.. We are working in close collaboration with local police services. They are all about security. We have put children through a compulsory training program when they get a bicycle, a road safety training program with some of our volunteers who are experts in the national bicycle training, “he said.
On Wednesday, June 11, the Bethany Beach police service will present a security clinic for J1 students at the Catholic church St. Ann.
Each J1 student who obtains the loan of a bike also gets a helmet, and this year, the plan is to also give everyone a reflexive backpack of $ 35. Last year, 220 students received bikes, so to help pay so many backpacks, ABC requests grants and meet organizations and elected officials to obtain funding. In May, there will be a sale of bikes to help collect funds. Make a donation, visit www.marinersbethel.org.
“These young people – these students J1 – come here and they are such an essential element of the endowment population. There are not enough young locals, so they are essential to help provide our businesses during the summer. In a diverted way, we really help companies, ”said Sykes.
“The J1 program is a cultural experience. This allows them to come and work, but it also allows young people who can be at university have the opportunity to come here. They have a favorable experience, and that shapes their opinion on America and they bring it back with them. This is important, because some of them will be world leaders. »»
The annual welcome picnic for students will take place on Tuesday 24 June at the Episcopal Church St. Martha in Bethany Beach.
Anyone who needs a bicycle can call the church office to (302) 539-9510.