Tasmanian Bike Collective News #2-2023
June 21, 2023
Dear Friends and Supporters...
Exciting news this month... People and Events!
What's inside:
The Devil's Cardigan is a 52 or 106km gravel bike race near Derby happening this Sat 24th of June. What makes it diabolical is not just the distance - it's also the 2300m of climbing, and the fact that it's right in the middle of the Tasmanian Winter.
Who does that??
And the latest weather report says that the weather will be miserable too. Hooray...
The cool thing is, TasBC has been invited to be the charity partner for this high profile event (this year it hosts the Australian National Gravel Championships). We will be present in various ways - including a number of our staff and volunteers who are taking part in the race.
Some of us are doing the shorter version, and a few of us are doing the full 106km!
We have been using the event as an opportunity to raise funds for our programs. If you want to get involved, click the link below to see our fundraising page and feel free to sponsor one of our riders.
And, if you're looking for a last minute place to make a fully tax deductible donation, this is just the place to do it!
Thanks for your support!
*unedited photos of sodden, fatigued, muddy riders will probably be in the next newsletter for your amusement...
Julius is a volunteer at Risdon Vale, AND at Clarence Plains collectives. This guy has given so much of his time and passion to the program, it's hard to know where to start.
So, let's let him do the talking...
"Hi, I'm Julius and kind of lost for words. I'm trying to imagine a way to express my profound sense of gratitude and place at having found the Tas Bike Collective. Why should you support it? Because it transforms lives; mine and so so many more.
I started at TasBC in August 2022 with long hair, was grossly unfit and generally anxious. I had trouble finding words and struggled conceptualising things. I had zero emotional resilience and represented a burden to my family and friends. Burnout, redundancy, COVID and then years of working at home left me a husk and desperately needing something to change...
...What I found were a bunch of bright eyed, intelligent, engaged individuals working together on something magical. Wether they be staff or kids, volunteers or the general public; that magic touched everyone. What we do is hang out and relate. Sometimes we fix bikes. Or clean up. Or make toasties. But mainly it's about sharing a space together that is safe and calm in which people can share themselves and grow up together.
Meanwhile I got a haircut, bike fit and my mental acuity returned. So when thanked for my time at the Bike Collective I feel rather conflicted; if people only knew what this place meant to me they might realise I should be thanking them. But that's the beauty of this place, it's about reciprocal respect, honesty, humility and all the good qualities".
We couldn't have said it better.
Do you have some time on your hands, or know someone who does? Get in touch about volunteering, and change lives.
Maybe even your own!
Unfortunately one of the common narratives we hear is... this young person can't focus, they can't work well with others, they are just a distraction in class and good luck getting anything out of them.
We love proving that narrative wrong!
Here is Nate's story:
When referred to the Bike Collective we were informed that Nate struggled to hold attention, had anger management issues and didn't often interact well with others.
But through the simple process of fixing up bikes we were able to work with him to identify strategies for emotional regulation, and strategies for him to increase his focus. The outcome:
“When I feel frustrated instead of getting angry or giving up, I can ask for help, keep trying or have a break and come back to things I’m struggling with.”
Our young people have so much to offer, sometimes they just need the right environment and support so they can learn and thrive.
So you remember how we said we were partnering with Brewlab?
First, what a great venue. Great food, great craft beers, and a great atmosphere.
During April, Brewlab supported us by donating $2 from every sale of Loaded Potatoes. That came to a total of just over $550.
Thanks so much guys. And really, it's a great place. We liked it so much, we held our annual volunteer lunch there last week (see below). Get yourselves down there when you get a chance!
So all this talk about partnering...
What does it mean for you and your business?
Here's what Brewlab had to say when we sought their feedback:
“We had the best experience from the very beginning with TasBC. Their community focus & ongoing support for small businesses is inspiring. We would jump at another opportunity to work with them again in future.”
Lesley Van Tuil, General Manager, Brewlab
Partnering with the Tasmanian Bike Collective means linking your business with a proven, effective organisation making a real difference in the lives of young people and the wider community.
And we will do everything we can to support you in return!
Last week, as we do every year, we celebrated our volunteers. We gathered at Brewlab for burgers, drinks and good times.
It's impossible to overstate the importance of our volunteers. Every single one makes a massive difference to the work we do. For example, there are some who help out maybe a couple of times a year when we're fixing up high-end bikes for resale. There are those troopers who turn up every week to work with our young people; fixing bikes, chatting, and creating community. There are people who collect bike donations for us, or help out at events...
And this time, we wanted especially to acknowledge the people behind the people. The partners, spouses and families who support our volunteers. Thank you.
For nearly 2 months now, we've been open to the public to buy bikes, one day every week.
It's going great guns! We're open at Risdon Vale
EVERY TUESDAY DURING SCHOOL TERMS from 10am to 6pm
We'll also be open over school holidays but this will vary a bit, and our Sale Days will still happen roughly once per quarter.
By the way, you can check out what we've currently got in stock on our Facebook page.
Here's the link:
https://tinyurl.com/tasbcsales
And if you're keen to get in touch to see if we can find you something in particular, jump on our web page and drop us a line using the form you'll find at the bottom of the page:
https://www.tasbc.com.au/buy-a-bike
Thanks for your support!
A bicycle chain is made up of lots of small links. When the links are all joined together, the bike can move forward. When there are more links, the chain gets longer, and you can use more gears to climb higher. It's simple!
It works the same way with donations. We have a number of regular donors who give as little as $5/week (that's one coffee!). All those little $5 donations are like chain links.
These little links allow us to climb higher: we can reach out wider, expand and enhance our programs, and reach more young at-risk Tasmanians. Why not add your own link to the chain? Click below!
Don't forget: all donations to TasBC are tax deductible - straight after 30 June you'll be sent a full year's receipt for you to claim on your tax return. So easy!
Sure! I can contribute $5/month to the Bike Collective's work! Donate
See? as always, short and sweet...
Check us out on the web at www.tasbc.com.au or
on Facebook: facebook.com/tasbikecollective
...or email us at hello@tasbc.com.au
All the best,
the TasBC staff and crew.
Do you know someone who would love to read our latest news?
Feel free to forward this email to them, or send them this link so they can sign up for themselves:
https://landing.mailerlite.com...
November 17, 2023
Exciting news this month... People and Events!
Read more →March 29, 2023
A lot has been happening at the Tas Bike Collective!
Read more →All financial donations support our programs, helping at-risk young people achieve their potential. We are incredibly thankful for any contribution you can make.
How to give →Give now →Learn more about what the Bike Collectives focus on, our core activities and how we use bikes to make a difference in the lives of young people.
Our Bike Collective at Risdon Vale is the original and long standing program.
Since starting in 2021, Huon Valley was the first of our new Collectives.
Having kicked off in 2022, Clarence Plains is our newest Collective.
