Last June Vega and Lula Piper, thirteen year old twins living
on Bainbridge Island, still hadn’t completed the community service project
assigned by their middle school teacher. Then it occurred to them: Instead
of performing a typical community service assignment like volunteering at a
nonprofit organization, “why not do something we love?”
That realization led them to do a bike-a-thon for a bicycle
organization. With assistance from their dad, they browsed the internet and
discovered the Bicycle Alliance of Washington. They thought our organization looked the
“coolest” and liked our campaign for Safe Routes to School. Building bike routes to make travel safer
made sense to them. Consequently they chose to contribute to the Bicycle
Alliance of Washington.
Lula
(l), Vega (r) after their trek in California
They asked for sponsors after school at pick up time. Their
goal was to try to ride their bikes, in a school week, the distance that they
commuted each day to and from school by car. They recruited 30 contributors and
raised nearly a thousand dollars!
Former Executive Director Barbara Culp praised the girls
saying, “Vega and Lula demonstrated that everyone can make a difference, no
matter how large or small, in their community. The Bicycle Alliance membership,
board, and staff thank them for hosting their own bike-a-thon and finding
people to donate to their efforts.”
So what does the sister bicycling team plan to do next? During
the months of July and August they accompanied their father on a road trip to
California and brought their bikes. “It’s definitely not as bike-friendly in
California,” they said. On the brighter side, “it was very flat, a good thing
if you’re touring.”
Vega and Lula have been riding bikes since they were three
or four. They currently get around on Raleigh mountain bikes. When asked how it
feels to ride on a bike rather than in a car, they responded, “It’s more
scenic, you get to enjoy the view more than if you’re zipping by in a car.”
The girls agreed they enjoy biking because it’s a fun way to
get exercise. They’d also like to extend a big thank you to all their sponsors,
because without them “this would not have been possible.”
If you’re dreaming of a fun, creative way to raise awareness
and support for bicycling in your community, and benefit the Bicycle Alliance
of Washington in the process, we welcome your ideas. Contact Fund Development
and Membership Manager Jack Hilovsky with your idea at jackh@BicycleAlliance.org!
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