Chicago Bike Buddies is Up for a Micro-Grant!!

Hi everybody!

How are we doing on this warm Tuesday??  I just wanted to inform you all of an exciting opportunity for Chicago Bike Buddies - We will be presenting tomorrow night at the BURN Community Grant Salon to possibly receive a micro-grant for up to $1,000! The Salon is being held at Eco (2042 W. 21st Street) at 7:30pm and will include 4 short presentations on different projects (Bike Buds being one) followed by dinner.  Those who are in attendance will vote after the presentations for who they believe should receive the grant.  So, the more bike enthusiasts we have at the event, the better our shot at winning!  Admission is $5 which includes the vote and dinner.

Of course, if you do attend, vote for who you think is most deserving.  Maybe us, maybe not.  No hard feelings.

Why could this be so great for us though??  Well, the program is currently being run without any budget which limits what we are actually able to do.  Although $1,000 is not a whole lot of money, it will definitely help us grow and expand which ideally will lead to more cyclists on the road.  And once we got more cyclists, we get better infrastructure, cleaner air, a better world and more fit people looking good on their ride.

Thank you thank you!! And lastly, if you know of any folks who would benefit from having a riding partner to increase their confidence and ease nervousness from urban riding, please refer them to Chicago Bike Buddies!!! We're looking for them!!

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Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on July 17, 2012 at 5:47am

woo-hoo!!!!!! Good luck guys! 

Permalink Reply by Kevin Swanson on July 17, 2012 at 5:53am

Thanks Julie!! Congrats and whoohooo!! to you as well with the engagement :)

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on July 17, 2012 at 6:08am

Best of Luck. Is Chicago Bike Buddies actually functioning? Website looks kind of dormant. 

Permalink Reply by Kevin Swanson on July 17, 2012 at 6:37am

Thanks! And yes, we are functioning.  We got 11 volunteers who are trained and ready to go Buddy whenever needed.  The only thing we lack at the moment are folks who need the buddies.  You should hopefully start seeing fliers for us at your local bike shop.  But you know, we have limited man power so getting the word out takes some time.

But yes, the website may look dormant.  Certainly is not flashy by any means.  I just got a friend to volunteer to do some graphic design though, maybe that will help!

Kevin C said:

Best of Luck. Is Chicago Bike Buddies actually functioning? Website looks kind of dormant. 

Permalink Reply by Andrew on July 17, 2012 at 6:49am

Looks matter far less than frequency of updates.  A couple date-stamped sentences every few days lets visitors know that your effort is active and ongoing.

Good luck with the grant application/process.

Kevin Swanson said:

But yes, the website may look dormant.  Certainly is not flashy by any means.  I just got a friend to volunteer to do some graphic design though, maybe that will help!


Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on July 17, 2012 at 7:47am

This is very true; it is all about regular updates.

Andrew N said:

Looks matter far less than frequency of updates.  A couple date-stamped sentences every few days lets visitors know that your effort is active and ongoing.

Good luck with the grant application/process.

Kevin Swanson said:

But yes, the website may look dormant.  Certainly is not flashy by any means.  I just got a friend to volunteer to do some graphic design though, maybe that will help!


Permalink Reply by Kevin Swanson on July 18, 2012 at 6:02am

Hey all, thanks for the advice regarding regular updates to the site and for luck for the grant.  The presentation is tonight, I will let you all know how it goes.

Just to throw it out there as well, a little reminder, the 3 organizers behind Bike Buddies are all juggling full-time or multiple part-time jobs.  And we have other obligations in life that we're working on as well.  We believe that this service will do good for the Chicago cycling community but, unfortunately, it hasn't been the fore-front of our energy.  We're confident that it will get going smoothly but it hasn't had the quickest start.  If there is anyone who likes the idea and could give a good amount of time and energy, please contact me (chibikebud@gmail.com) and we can chat about having you become an organizer.  It would be really great!


And Jennifer - a message coming your way soon.

Take care all!

Permalink Reply by Kevin Swanson on July 19, 2012 at 6:33am

Right right.  So last night, we were not selected to receive the grant but nonetheless, it was still a great night.  The money went to Unspoken Words, an organization that gives homeless youth an outlet for artistic expression.  We still got the word out and networked ourselves maybe a partnership here or there.  We'll see where it takes us.

Thanks Serge for coming out though!!  He was sporting a Chainlink T-shirt and probably nabbed a few new members.

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