The Better Boys Foundation (BBF) is now in its 51st year of service to the North Lawndale community, demonstrating the value of its work and the quality of its programming as it continues to grow and develop to meet the evolving needs of the community’s young people. BBF’s YouthLAB and KidLAB programming for youth ages 5 to 18 provides healthy, positive, and engaging out-of-school activities as well as academic, emotional, and social support           

Inspired by and highlighting BBF's cutting edge out-of-school time programming, It’s aMAZEing! promises an alternative to the typical hotel charity gala. The event is built around performances and exhibitions of youth work in filmmaking, writing/graphic design, textile arts, bicycle mechanics, tap dancing and urban agriculture. It's hip, and it's happening June 23, 2012, from 7:00pm until midnight at the MCA Warehouse (1747 West Hubbard Street, Chicago).           

Featured at It’s aMAZEing is BikeLAB@1512. BikeLAB is BBF’s bike apprenticeship offered in partnership with West Town Bikes.  Apprentices learn the basics of bike repair and maintenance, map and take rides throughout the city (the group averages 100 miles a summer!), and employ best practices in rider safety and road etiquette. BikeLAB apprentices have worked on site at Cyclo Urbano, West Town Bike’s on-site bike mechanics training facility, and now, with the opening of a dedicated BikeLAB space at 1532 South Pulaski, apprentices will learn and employ their skills at an earn-a-bike program right in the North Lawndale community.  BikeLAB’s instructor is an experienced bike mechanic and bicycling advocate who has worked both at West Town Bikes and Working Bikes Coop and participates regularly in public events like Critical Mass, Open Streets Chicago, and Bike the Drive.  Check the BBF website: http://www.betterboys.org/ later this summer for BikeLAB’s grand opening event at 1532.

The event will also feature an exhibit of Working Bikes Co-Op designed cargo, art and tall bikes: http://workingbikes.org/taxonomy/term/3047

And a bike instrument performance by the Shwinntonations: http://www.myspace.com/schwinntonation

To learn more about the event and purchase tickets visit: http://www.betterboys.org/whats-new/calendar/its-amazeing/