Clark County Museum Strategy

Families discovered gold in the Archer Gallery

A bike repair shop that doles out top brand women's clothes, across the street from a cafe, a New Seasons Market, and the Clark County Historical Museum was made better only by grand bike lanes, easy slopes, limited traffic, 

and more museums.

Such was the discovery of Cyclisme racers when they arrived on Main Street in Vancouver Washington Saturday morning. 

Parking anywhere, in what seemed almost ghost town conditions, only everything had just opened up, and was ready for business.

Our Cycling Coach was easily found in an Argent Sprinter across the street from the shop called Bike Clark County - a subsidized non-profit. 

Everyone seemed happy to find the familiar van, as ham and cheese sandwiches and juice drinks disappeared quickly.

Everyone had urgent individual concerns.

Caffeine lust and more complicated broken loose screws in cleats and seat binders found easy repair in the sleepy businesses found idle, yet operating nearby

Racers were thankful everything was remembered in advance as they were just learning how to remember where their helmets were on race day. If one child made an earnest noise expressing great pain over not being able to find their helmet, Bicycles and Ideas for Kids' Empowerment offered them a brand new one.

Once their needs were so luxuriously met, the anxious child went calmly back to their mother's car, and found their old helmet.

Soon mom would serve home made cheese cake, and the event would culminate with chocolate flax brownies. An event punctuated with cycling mentors clang orating vociferous messages of "stay in the bike lane," and "hold yer line!"

Developing the essential skills of just beginning

racers requires making them comfortable and soothing their fears while introducing them to the torment and danger of elite cycling.  Introduction of the fashion, the fiscal expense, and the agony of aerobic body systems gone anaerobic, causes anxiety.

Even to pursue the fullness of racing instead of alighting on the softer, more common plateau of recreational touring, is a questionable, and often questioned pursuit.

"Do we really need to this?"  new racers in training ask.

Climbing a long soft slope, inevitably makes one ask, "where are we going?" and "I need to pull over, can we?"

On the right kind of slopes, form follows function.

Folks learn how to shift down to easier gears, and find a sustainable pace if they want to train to travel with the pack.

Clark County features Hudson HS and just as the cycling team warming up was climbing past it's friendly higher education neighbor just up hill, Clark College, the Squadra Cyclisme turned downhill into the High School parking lot to have a practice criterium. 

Going fast. Getting on a wheel.

Arriving about five minutes into the day's ride, the early
unexpected turn down hill gave all suffering laments of affliction and woe, sudden relief. It was a welcomed chance to coast and pull over.

Here racers got to race. Given this opportunity to throw down a real "on your mark, get set, go." Others elected to pull over, throw their bikes down, and sit down on the grass, unsure whether to cry, or vomit.

A few began to sprint, as teammates got on their wheel, and held on.

In fifteen minutes, the fast were tired, the slow had recovered, and all attention was focused on traveling again on the open road to the Pearson Air Museum.

Just a mile away down hill on beautiful streets recently paved with top dollar asphalt, the team's lack of experience keeping themselves alive on a bicycle went unpunished by the desolate roads, and alert, experienced, late-model-automobile driving citizenry of SW Washington.

Soon racers arrived at the Pearson Air Museum, a once popular but recently DOGE-gutted federal museum heralding the old WW l air base located next to an even older Fort Vancouver. So much American History in one spot gave pageantry to the air conditioning, water fountains, and clean public bathrooms racers most urgently desired.

WW l fighter plane engine.

Folks taking full measure of the Pearson Air Museum missed a double hill climbing effort of two columns of cyclists who plowed back up the slope toward Clark College and in to town by New Seasons, only to be back at the Pearson in fifteen minutes or so.

Reunited again, the whole Crew snacked on Lara Bars, and juices. They ate cheese and said "cheese" for a team photo, then climbed back on their bikes to ride up to the Archer Gallery on the Clark Campus, where b.i.k.e. Development Director, Rispa Vranka Wafula was waiting to take us in.

All of this play time of overload and recovery simulated the long rides coming up when skilled cyclists will train to win in the OBRA or USAC. 

Today team metabolism was sped up preparing to ride in the Summer's Family Cycling Events at MPC.  

Saturday the Museum Strategy helped racers taste the blood in their mouth, and feel the brilliance in their brain. They considered reality colored by history. Racers patronized museums that had been waiting for them free of charge, since before they were born.

Playing cycling  with their recognized team, they were kept out of trouble while parents worked out big.

WANT TO HELP THIS GOOD PROGRAM DO WHAT IT DOES? 

Time, Treasure, and Talent keeps it thriving.

Please consider a gift to b.i.k.e today

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

Bike Path from 7 Corners to OMSI

 

Games and movement coalesced and captivated in just the first few feet upon entering  OMSI. 

The "Team Zane " Crew were perfect additions to the spectacle. Like royal charges, they thought and laughed, while their protective security detail filmed them.

At one point or another, most asked "why not a longer bike ride?"

Little did they know, a long ride was certainly in the plan, but just not today. 

First we had to train their team mates, captains, elders, and  mothers. All one in the same person, of course. From it's most basic state, they were becoming a true beginner-level women's cycling team.

Their pack of coaches and racers were leaving OMSI as soon as the children's bikes were locked up.

The route, the pacelines, and the pain. It all needed to be learned by the parents first, at least on this team, that's the rule.

 

Grace and New Seasons

PIZZA

Anticipation for the bicycle ride from Seven Corners to OMSI, varied across the team.

Some dreaded the cold and the rain, while others awoke at the break of day, wide eyed and ready to go.

  

Standing alert at front the door was the smiling store assistant manager Aime, "Hello, welcome to New Seasons," she said to the children as they approached.

"Come this way," she said and waived as she turned.

Unfolding as the children approached the back corner of the store, lo and behold a dining room was waiting for them, and it was filled with

pizza. All sorts of pizza! 

Thanks to the well healed gift card loaded up by New Seasons Community Impact Manager, Karen.

"We are happy to support your ride!" Karen said.

What a spot this was for an inner city cycling team to meet up and roll out. Carefully positioning their bikes on the team van out of the way, the children's team was a spectacle drawing smiles from the grocery shoppers making their Saturday buys.

Everyone was so kind to the cycling team. 

Aime was everywhere at just the right time. Always helpful, even her pizza chefs were sweet and kind. - urging the children to have another slice - any flavor they might want. 

What a perfect way to start a Saturday ride to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

To see more adventures of Bicycles and Ideas for Kids' Empowerment, hit the CYCLISME at the top.

Rispa's Difference

Helping,  saves hearts and 

minds.

Casual effort at the fingertips of the talented scholar catalyzes growth in the gentle mind, body and spirit of the junior.  

Our junior hungry and worried about signals of academic, and emotional starvation at the early mileposts of grade school accomplishment, sees the scholar appear on the horizon, and is relieved.

Her protection preservation begins behind the scenes and blossoms forward to appear at a meal, then in your front driveway.

Ordering tickets, making reservations, calling for everyone to line up. She reminds us "we are late," so we pick up the speed.

When the chess champion is mentioned, she claps emphatically.

The plan is solidified with her editing eye.The proposal is submitted with  her administrative perfection.

Every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon Rispa arrives at the Ford house to take Elante to SYLVAN Reading Academy.

Before they go in to the after-school program, she buys Elante a savory cheesy croissant, and a healthy fruit smoothy.

Rispa's work as development director often morphs into soccer coach, and school teacher at the helm on a field trip.

Her pen is the mightiest tool she wilds seeking scraps of funding for the trips her students enjoy.

Bicycle trips give a moment of American entitlement to every kid. Cycling is the vehicle with which to sprint after all sorts of goals. If literacy is your destination, then "good racing."

b.i.k.e. uses the city to strengthen resiliency and bridge all gaps. With tools like Portland Art Museum, Oregon Museum of Science & Industry, Portland Parks Department, and Multnomah Public Library, discovery and excitement simply ensue.

Suppport Rispa's purchase of after school snacks: kidsofbike.org

Hats off to Knott Street Boxing Gym, New Seasons Market, and River City Bicycles.

Investing in Champions

Stretch to feel the Joy

Seeing the good in one 

another, 

and then helping them reach for glory 

is one of life's great endeavors.

.

    When investing time, and talent, quality grows. Money pays for the class, but talent brings the quality. 

Sarah Joy swims so much that she knows just what moves to make before getting into the water. 

Fire up
!

Sarah Joy knows a 3 millimeter swim suit is ideal for her pals standing in waste-deep luke warm water listening to their instructor's instructions for a half hour on a cold January morning. 

So Sarah Joy made sure Mikiah and Elante had those clothes in a black ARENA swim bag on day one.

They both have swim goggles, and Mikiah even has a swimmer's hoodie, because Mikiah likes hoodies.

Nurturing Growth

Bicycles and Ideas for Kids' Empowerment 

as an organization, keep an eye out for the 

athletes missing from the sport of cycling, then

recruits them to a team, then supports their trajectory toward college, and Championship.

Whether a racer needs a rain coat, clip-in pedals, a faster bicycle, 

or help learning to read, b.i.k.e. provide's support.

In every case b.i.k.e. also serves food, every time.

We try to dress beginners up, sharp! Thanks to gifts from the local bicycle racing community, the kids of b.i.k.e. wear long sleave skin suits and wear haute couture leg warmers just TO PRACTICE!

Process provides a lifestyle of benevolence, good form, simplicity and team. Fun and hard work go hand in hand when the goal is leg speed and power.

Giving a young athlete what they need might be about more than food, it might be about reading, or running, or connections to the city. At Bicycles and Ideas for Kids' Empowerment, we strive to help families thrive.

"Poor kids, through no fault of their own, are less prepared by their families, their schools, and their communities to develop their God-given talents as fully as rich kids".

                                                                      

   Robert Putnam Our Kids:The American Dream in Crisis

Art in the 503

Portland Art Museum, was a smash hit! 

Not the pedestrian incident kind. Everyone made it safe.

We ate Vietnamese, cruised the PSU campus, and were well received by a full compliment of Portland Art Museum staff. Our Portland Art Museum Docent, Gail stood at the front door looking through the huge glass wall. Shaking with vibrant joy when she saw us.

We are called Bicycles and Ideas for Kids' Empowerment. Everyone from Catering, to Security, knew it was us as we approached.

chess champion imitates art

What does perfect programming look like? 

Seeing the rain wait while cycling youth and their parents depart down hill at the top of Campus, only to arrive to many, many welcoming eyes and hands at the glass front facade of the new Portland Art Museum,  that's pretty good.

After a Vietnamese supper at PHO 503, the ride down through Portland State University on the Park Blocks was thrilling. Rush hour car traffic boiled all around us, but we glided among the elms, perpendicular to the gridlock.

Short waits at cross walks already populated with radical college students, were easy for big eyed little girls on training wheels.

Fast rolling older boys led by CYCLISME cycling veteran junior girl and superior rider,  Mikiah Richey,  led a strict game of follow the leader down the hill.  

On a whole other level, was recent college grad and new b.i.k.e. Development Officer, Rispa Vranka Wafula who ran ahead on foot, protecting, and directing, she was always ready to block children back from falling into the traffic.

Mikiah however, never let anyone get even close. She circled every work of art in the South Park Blocks, sweeping her transfixed followers back up the hill again and again before they rolled near the street.

Meanwhile, a big man in a wheelchair and three parent's on bikes, with two more parents on foot chased and sometimes blocked, Clay and Jefferson Streets in a natural way.

Eating out together, building our team dream together, then rolling out to our beautiful destination, where we were warmly received, 

had us shifting focus from challenges to opportunities. We practiced authenticity, transparency, and empathy, and adopted personalized approaches on the fly.

Please help b.i.k.e. continue to offer this 

"Museum Strategy" visiting more museums around Oregon and Washington,

as a way of building up our resiliency with developmental assets (see here), and bridging the growing opportunity gap (please see here) in modern America this Giving Season , 

by 

DONATING 

to our 501c3 

BICYCLES and IDEAS for KID'S EMPOWERMENT 

Elante loves his new skull cap
given to him
by RCB

(please see here)