Jamaica Plain People

Jamaica Plain Friends Raised Thousands for Bikes Not Bombs By Riding Across Iowa

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Two Jamaica Plain neighbors raised thousands by participating in the seven-day Des Moines Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI). "I grew up in northeast Iowa and remember the first RAGBRAI. I thought it was kind of crazy but that some day I would try it. As this is the 50th anniversary of the Iowa ride, now is that time. I thought if I'm doing this, I should use this as a way to promote a worthy cause.

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Government
Southwest Corridor Park between Green and Stony Brook stations, April 2014

Mass Ave to Forest Hills: State Making Southwest Corridor Park Safety and Accessibility Enhancements

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The Department of Conservation and Recreation began making safety and accessibility enhancements along the Southwest Corridor from Massachusetts Avenue to Forest Hills on Monday. The paths will still be rideable and walkable. The scope of work will include improvements to asphalt paths, repairs to concrete path segments, and intersection improvements, including removal of cobblestones. Crews will work on the corridor as late as the construction season allows due to weather. There will be detours and one path will remain open on dual-path segments, and users can walk on adjacent sidewalk on single-path segments.

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Nonprofit

Bikes Not Bombs Doubles Bicycle-Based Training, Employment Opps for Black and Other Marginalized Youth

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Jamaica Plain nonprofit Bikes Not Bombs is reimagining new ways to use the bicycle as a vehicle for social change to achieve economic mobility for Black and other marginalized youth from Boston’s most under-resourced neighborhoods. Through a recently formalized, multi-tiered Youth Pathways program, Bikes Not Bombs is addressing the critical need for safe, supported spaces where young people can connect, build hands-on skills, and develop meaningful, long-term employment plans. The longtime fixture in Boston’s bicycle community will broaden its reach by expanding its physical footprint and deepening its impact on young people by integrating case management and therapeutic support into its youth development model. This work is unfolding at a time when the COVID-19 epidemic has significantly amplified experiences of isolation and self-doubt among young people everywhere, particularly Black and other marginalized youth. This year Bikes Not Bombs teamed up with Children’s Services of Roxbury (CSR) to open a new Bike School “Hub” on Dudley Street in Roxbury this spring.

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Nonprofit

Buy A Refurbished Bike From Bikes Not Bombs

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Did you know that Bikes Not Bombs sells refurbished bicycles? Oh, they've got lots of refurbished bikes! Bikes Not Bombs' website explains what refurbished means to them:

"All of our bikes get overhauled from top to bottom. Each bike is stripped down to just the frame, washed, and rebuilt using a mixture of new and overhauled used parts. All of our bikes get brand new wheels, tires, tubes, brake pads, chains, freewheels or cassettes, bottom bracket, and cables & housing.

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Environment

Bikes Not Bombs Receives $130,000+ City Grant for Green and Mobility Jobs

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Bikes Not Bombs recently received a city grant to green jobs and mobility training.  The grant is for $138,232. “With the city of Boston’s funding, Bikes Not Bombs will give Boston youth the opportunity for apprenticeship, skill building, and career development. BNB uses the bicycle as a vehicle for social change – and this funding will open the door for Black and marginalized Boston residents to achieve economic mobility, build relationships, and work towards a healthier Boston,” said Elijah Evans, Executive Director of Bikes Not Bombs via press release. Mayor Michelle Wu announced the recipients of Boston’s Catalyst Grants for Green Job and Mobility Training on Jan.

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From the Community

4 JP Nonprofits Receive Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation Grants

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The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation recently announced that four Jamaica Plain nonprofit organizations were awarded a total of $2,050 from the Foundation’s Community Spirit 9/11 Mini-Grant program. The organizations receiving funds are:

• Beantown Society ($500)
• Bikes Not Bombs ($500)
• Community Servings ($550)
• Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center Inc. ($500)

To commemorate those Harvard Pilgrim members who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, Harvard Pilgrim and the Foundation created the Community Spirit 9/11 Mini-Grant program. This program allows each Harvard Pilgrim employee to award a $500 grant, completely funded by the Foundation, to the local charity of his or her choice each calendar year. Since this community grants program began in 2002, Harvard Pilgrim employees have directed more than $6.8 million to thousands of organizations throughout Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. “Now more than ever, as nonprofits across the region are dealing with the impact of COVID-19, we are committed to supporting their efforts to care for their communities,” said Karen Voci, President of the Harvard Pilgrim Foundation.

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Business

10 Jamaica Plain Nonprofits to Support on #GivingTuesday

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First there was Thanksgiving, then came Black Friday, then Cyber Monday, which were then followed by the virtuous #GivingTuesday. #GivingTuesday is an international day of giving before we get into the commercialized holiday season -- and here are just a few Jamaica Plain nonprofits that help the community in many ways. All of these nonprofits accept donations in different forms and many are also eager to have volunteers donate their time to help their programs. Please contact them for more info. Bikes Not Bombs (284 Amory St. and 18 Bartlett Square) is a unique local nonprofit that "uses the bicycle as a vehicle for social change."

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Bicycling

2-Day Bike Maintenance Workshop for Women+

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Vie Cycle and Bikes Not Bombs are putting on a bike maintenance workshop for women+*. This is a 2-day workshop where participants will learn about fixing flats, replacing chains, adjusting brakes and troubleshooting bike problems.

For more information and to register, visit www.viecycle.com/upcomingcourses

Check out www.bikesnotbombs.org to see what this great organization is up to. Dates:
​October 9 & 10
7:00pm - 9:30pm

​Location:
Bikes Not Bombs
284 Amory Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Tuition: $60

Register at www.viecycle.com/upcomingcourses

*Women+ includes people who identify as female, trans, intersex, queer and gender non-conforming. Basically, all those folks who aren't represented in the Tour de France. If you aren't sure if the "women+" label includes you, please contact us!

From the Community

Regis Students Work to Raise Awareness and Recruit Volunteers for Bikes Not Bombs

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Students at Regis College recently hosted an on-campus awareness and volunteer recruitment event recently for Bikes Not Bombs, a 501c(3) non-profit organization based in Jamaica Plain. Students in the Introduction to Public Relations class arranged for Bikes Not Bombs to bring in a stationary blender bike that students could ride and make a free smoothie if they agreed to volunteer for the organization, share the information on social media or donate in some form (funds, bike parts or a used bike). On November 18, more than 100 students attended the event and learned about Bikes Not Bombs' commitment to using bicycles as a vehicle for social change. Students learned how the non-profit uses bicycles to initiate opportunities for employment, scholarships, mentorship among youth and community members in the Boston area, as well as in developing nations. Attendees received information regarding how Bikes Not Bombs uses bicycles as a source for increased mobility, creating employment, providing an emissions-free alternative energy source and for policy and infrastructure changes.

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JP residents at the People's Climate March, September 2014
Environment

People’s Climate March, NYC: Jamaica Plain Was There

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Hundreds of Jamaica Plain residents were among the estimated 400,000 participants in this weekend's People's Climate March in New York City. Here is a roundup of photos from JP people and organizations who made the trip. [View the story "Jamaica Plain Represents at Climate March" on Storify] [selfie]

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