Sam Tracy, bike messenger, mechanic, published author of 'zines and books and overall rabble-rouser, is now -- get this! -- a Peace Corps volunteer serving in Mauritania. It was only a matter of time before he figured out a way to put his bike-savvy to use there, and here it is: he's starting a bike repair school to teach bike repair skills to young adults who can then go out and earn a living with them.
Sam and I had talked about this a few months back. Originally I had thought of just sending him the tools myself through the shop, until I realized that sending a box of tools would require me to catalog every single item and list it on multiple copies of customs forms; and that what Sam wanted was three sets of tools. Although I could possibly get a small discount it wouldn't be that great, and Sam said there'd be purchase orders and stuff to deal with. The project suddenly grew beyond me, so I suggested that Sam contact Park Tool, the largest US maker of bike shop tools, directly. Park has come through by offering the tools at a generous discount, and the Peace Corps has come through by approving the project and setting up a Web page about it here:
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetai The school would train bike mechanics and send them out into their part of the world with basic tools to set up their own repair shops. It's a seeding program that will not only create jobs, but also further promote bicycles as affordable, sustainable transportation. In short, this sort of thing is Right Up My Alley, and I'm throwing my support behind it.
Sam needs to raise a little over $1,500 to help buy the tools and set up the classes. He's a really good human being and I totally believe in his project. So if you're flush this month -- if you qualified for a refund on your taxes or scored a huge pile of bottles to take back for deposits, or whatever -- I'm asking you to help him out a little.
Thanks.
Sam and I had talked about this a few months back. Originally I had thought of just sending him the tools myself through the shop, until I realized that sending a box of tools would require me to catalog every single item and list it on multiple copies of customs forms; and that what Sam wanted was three sets of tools. Although I could possibly get a small discount it wouldn't be that great, and Sam said there'd be purchase orders and stuff to deal with. The project suddenly grew beyond me, so I suggested that Sam contact Park Tool, the largest US maker of bike shop tools, directly. Park has come through by offering the tools at a generous discount, and the Peace Corps has come through by approving the project and setting up a Web page about it here:
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetai
The school would train bike mechanics and send them out into their part of the world with basic tools to set up their own repair shops. It's a seeding program that will not only create jobs, but also further promote bicycles as affordable, sustainable transportation. In short, this sort of thing is Right Up My Alley, and I'm throwing my support behind it.
Sam needs to raise a little over $1,500 to help buy the tools and set up the classes. He's a really good human being and I totally believe in his project. So if you're flush this month -- if you qualified for a refund on your taxes or scored a huge pile of bottles to take back for deposits, or whatever -- I'm asking you to help him out a little.
Thanks.