Saturday, April 17, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Busy bike co-op hopes to be part of $6.3m centre
February 22, 2010
Dana Brown
The Hamilton Spectator
(Feb 22, 2010)
It started with a bike co-op running on a government grant, $1,000 in donations and more than 80 gifted cycles.
In the end, the hope is for a $6.3-million building renovation that will house a community centre, a church, the co-op, and 46 affordable housing units.
Homestead Christian Care has grand plans for the Main Street East building, which sits at the corner of Crosthwaite Avenue North near Kenilworth Avenue North.
The building used to house the Jam Rock Bar and Grill, a hot spot that prompted many noise complaints.
Homestead bought the building and last year let the co-op, which is associated with New Hope Church, move in rent-free. Later, the church moved in and became a paying tenant.
"This building already is a place where the community gathers and sees the benefit for itself," said Jeff Neven, director of operations with Homestead and a church member.
"So it's not drawing from the neighbourhood, it's giving to the neighbourhood. And I live in the neighbourhood, so I'd only want to see something that adds to my community."
On Wednesday, city council will have the final word on whether the affordable housing units are recommended for funding under the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program. They are second on the city's list of priorities.
"I think it's just another example of the renaissance we're going through in the east end," Councillor Sam Merulla said about the building project.
Since opening last spring -- with a $3,000 grant to hire a student -- the bike co-op has become self-sustaining through the sale of donated bikes that are refurbished. It started as a pilot project, but was carried on by volunteers after the summer ended.
The average cost of an adult bike is $40. A kid's bike is $10.
People are welcome to bring their own bikes in and volunteers will help them fix it. They also help people who can't afford bikes, including youths, get hooked up with a ride.
"On the one hand, we're searching to provide transportation for people who may not be able to afford it," said Sid Slotegraaf, 21, the co-op co-ordinator.
"On the other hand, we're trying to teach people how to fix their own bikes and kind of build a community around biking. So it's kind of a tangible way that the church can serve the community."
Currently, the co-op has 120 bikes. Slotegraaf said last summer they sold more than 60 bikes and gave away about a dozen.
He said he would like to have four staff members at the shop during the summer -- they are working on a proposal for grants for the positions -- and be able to keep up with the repairs and people coming in. Slotegraaf would also like to see the co-op become more than "barely" self-sustaining.
Neven said if there is funding for affordable housing, work would start this spring on a third floor to the building and be completed by the end of March 2011. If the roughly $1 million needed for the first-floor renovation can be raised, those renovations would be done at the same time, he said.
Neven said they plan to name the community centre the Dr. John M. Perkins Centre, after the American civil rights activist.
The bike co-op is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It's located at 1429 Main Street East.
dbrown@thespec.com
905-526-4629
New Hope lives on Main East
Howard Elliott
The Hamilton Spectator
(Feb 23, 2010)
There's a song written by Bruce Springsteen entitled From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come). The sentiment, if not the song itself, could accurately be applied to many things happening in Hamilton these days. A great example can be found at 1429 Main Street E. at the corner of Crosthwaite Ave., near Kenilworth.
Here sits a building, previously home to a rowdy bar known in the area for noise complaints. Today, it's owned by a non-profit organization called Homestead Christian Care -- affiliated with the New Hope Christian Church -- which wants to build 46 affordable housing units, in addition to current tenants that include the New Hope Bike Co-Op, which refurbishes and resells old bikes for bargain rates, and also does bike repairs.
An adult bike typically sells for $40, a kid's bike for $10. If your bike is broken, you can take it in and volunteers will help fix it. If you can't afford a bike, the operators will help you get hooked up with a ride. Last summer the co-op sold about 60 bikes and gave away about a dozen more to people who couldn't afford to buy.
The co-op opened last spring with a grant of $3,000 to hire a student. It's now self-sustaining through the sale of donated bikes, and the labour of a volunteer workforce.
It was a seed, fertilized and sprouted by grassroots community common sense and energy, now grown into a place of optimism, a community asset, perhaps soon to be augmented by the affordable housing units, which city council will deliberate under terms of the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program.
Renewal is not always about big projects and big dollars. As often, it's about small things and the hope of big things coming. We hope New Hope's big things come to pass.
The Hamilton Spectator
(Feb 23, 2010)
There's a song written by Bruce Springsteen entitled From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come). The sentiment, if not the song itself, could accurately be applied to many things happening in Hamilton these days. A great example can be found at 1429 Main Street E. at the corner of Crosthwaite Ave., near Kenilworth.
Here sits a building, previously home to a rowdy bar known in the area for noise complaints. Today, it's owned by a non-profit organization called Homestead Christian Care -- affiliated with the New Hope Christian Church -- which wants to build 46 affordable housing units, in addition to current tenants that include the New Hope Bike Co-Op, which refurbishes and resells old bikes for bargain rates, and also does bike repairs.
An adult bike typically sells for $40, a kid's bike for $10. If your bike is broken, you can take it in and volunteers will help fix it. If you can't afford a bike, the operators will help you get hooked up with a ride. Last summer the co-op sold about 60 bikes and gave away about a dozen more to people who couldn't afford to buy.
The co-op opened last spring with a grant of $3,000 to hire a student. It's now self-sustaining through the sale of donated bikes, and the labour of a volunteer workforce.
It was a seed, fertilized and sprouted by grassroots community common sense and energy, now grown into a place of optimism, a community asset, perhaps soon to be augmented by the affordable housing units, which city council will deliberate under terms of the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program.
Renewal is not always about big projects and big dollars. As often, it's about small things and the hope of big things coming. We hope New Hope's big things come to pass.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
New Hope Bike Co-op (article)
New Hope
Bike co-op gives life to old bikes
by Phyllis Tsang
The Dominion - http://www.dominionpaper.ca
Giving new life to old bikes. Photo: Phyllis Tsang
HAMILTON—"This is the stage I like the most about fixing bikes,” Sid Slotegraaf, Coordinator of New Hope Bike Co-op and a soft-spoken downhill racer and dirt jumper, said while dusting off a "pre-loved" bicycle. "You don't always know how they would turn out. It's like giving them new lives again."
New Hope Bike Co-op, a program which focuses on helping people fix their own bikes—and providing low-cost parts, free use of tools and low-cost refurbished bicycles—is the brainchild of Jeff Neven, a cyclist and a father of four who can ride only once the kids are put to sleep.
The idea was born in 1997 when Jeff was working with inner city kids in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he started a bicycle repair club for boys and girls. Upon returning to Canada, he continued to find opportunities and partner with groups like Recycle Cycles in Kitchener and MacCycle Co-op at McMaster University, serving communities with his bike repairing skills.
In the past three years, First Hamilton Christian Reformed Church and its church plant, New Hope Church, hosted a couple of single-day bike repairing events in East Hamilton. They had been well received by their neighborhoods. The success of these events furthered Jeff’s vision of developing a bike co-op in East Hamilton. This summer, New Hope Bike Co-op, backed by church donations and a grant from Service Canada’s Summer Job Initiative, finally became a reality.
The New Hope Bike Co-op. Photo: Phyllis Tsang
Since its opening in June, the bike co-op has been serving 20-40 people per day in two locations: a bike shop in the Delta East neighborhood which is open Thursdays and Fridays and a stall at Ottawa Street Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings.
The bike shop is located in an out-of-business sports bar which was originally an upscale eating establishment in the '40s. With most of its furniture still intact, the space has been retrofitted into a bike shop by adding workbenches, tools and increasing numbers of donated bicycles.
In this purple-ceilinged bike shop with a red-leathered booth, people's hands are always covered in black. According to Sid, "The best way to learn about bikes is to get your hands greasy and work on one."
"The greatest thing about this co-op for me is that people not only get their bikes fixed, but they also bring home a new skill,” he shared.
Some, like Darrell Sanderson, who donated time at the bike shop, walked home with more than a new skill. He left the co-op with a bike, his fingerprints all over it.
"You love being here, don't you?" asked Darrell's mom, Janice, who came to pick up her son after work. The shy teenager smiled and nodded.
The three bike stands in the shop never stand empty. Whenever a bike is off the stand, another one is put up. Both Sid and Drake White, a faithful volunteer who never misses a day at "work," are trying hard to meet the high demand for bicycles and repairs.
"This is our next project.” Sid picked a dusty cruiser out of more than 160 donated bikes.
Restored bikes are put at the store front to await their new owners. As much as sales are welcomed, they can be heart-breakers for Sid, who has to let them go, at times unwillingly.
Once, as he watched one of his beloved bikes leaving with a customer, Sid held out his arms like a child whose favorite toy had been taken away from him.
"That’s my bike..."
Originally a summer program, the Bike co-op will extend its operation on Saturdays through the winter. It will return in full strength again next summer at the same location (1429 Main St E).
"Are you ready to take part in this restoration project?" Sid looked at me and my clean hands as he mounted another forgotten gem on the stand.
Phyllis Tsang is a graduate student at McMaster University who likes to study wide, think deep, write lots, and live fully.
A version of this article originally appeared on the Media Co-op
Bike co-op gives life to old bikes
by Phyllis Tsang
The Dominion - http://www.dominionpaper.ca
Giving new life to old bikes. Photo: Phyllis Tsang
HAMILTON—"This is the stage I like the most about fixing bikes,” Sid Slotegraaf, Coordinator of New Hope Bike Co-op and a soft-spoken downhill racer and dirt jumper, said while dusting off a "pre-loved" bicycle. "You don't always know how they would turn out. It's like giving them new lives again."
New Hope Bike Co-op, a program which focuses on helping people fix their own bikes—and providing low-cost parts, free use of tools and low-cost refurbished bicycles—is the brainchild of Jeff Neven, a cyclist and a father of four who can ride only once the kids are put to sleep.
The idea was born in 1997 when Jeff was working with inner city kids in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he started a bicycle repair club for boys and girls. Upon returning to Canada, he continued to find opportunities and partner with groups like Recycle Cycles in Kitchener and MacCycle Co-op at McMaster University, serving communities with his bike repairing skills.
In the past three years, First Hamilton Christian Reformed Church and its church plant, New Hope Church, hosted a couple of single-day bike repairing events in East Hamilton. They had been well received by their neighborhoods. The success of these events furthered Jeff’s vision of developing a bike co-op in East Hamilton. This summer, New Hope Bike Co-op, backed by church donations and a grant from Service Canada’s Summer Job Initiative, finally became a reality.
The New Hope Bike Co-op. Photo: Phyllis Tsang
Since its opening in June, the bike co-op has been serving 20-40 people per day in two locations: a bike shop in the Delta East neighborhood which is open Thursdays and Fridays and a stall at Ottawa Street Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings.
The bike shop is located in an out-of-business sports bar which was originally an upscale eating establishment in the '40s. With most of its furniture still intact, the space has been retrofitted into a bike shop by adding workbenches, tools and increasing numbers of donated bicycles.
In this purple-ceilinged bike shop with a red-leathered booth, people's hands are always covered in black. According to Sid, "The best way to learn about bikes is to get your hands greasy and work on one."
"The greatest thing about this co-op for me is that people not only get their bikes fixed, but they also bring home a new skill,” he shared.
Some, like Darrell Sanderson, who donated time at the bike shop, walked home with more than a new skill. He left the co-op with a bike, his fingerprints all over it.
"You love being here, don't you?" asked Darrell's mom, Janice, who came to pick up her son after work. The shy teenager smiled and nodded.
The three bike stands in the shop never stand empty. Whenever a bike is off the stand, another one is put up. Both Sid and Drake White, a faithful volunteer who never misses a day at "work," are trying hard to meet the high demand for bicycles and repairs.
"This is our next project.” Sid picked a dusty cruiser out of more than 160 donated bikes.
Restored bikes are put at the store front to await their new owners. As much as sales are welcomed, they can be heart-breakers for Sid, who has to let them go, at times unwillingly.
Once, as he watched one of his beloved bikes leaving with a customer, Sid held out his arms like a child whose favorite toy had been taken away from him.
"That’s my bike..."
Originally a summer program, the Bike co-op will extend its operation on Saturdays through the winter. It will return in full strength again next summer at the same location (1429 Main St E).
"Are you ready to take part in this restoration project?" Sid looked at me and my clean hands as he mounted another forgotten gem on the stand.
Phyllis Tsang is a graduate student at McMaster University who likes to study wide, think deep, write lots, and live fully.
A version of this article originally appeared on the Media Co-op
Friday, January 8, 2010
Faith groups, churches play important, continuing role in Hamilton
The following article was written in the Hamilton spectator as a response to someone wondering where the churches are in supporting the community:
- LettertotheEditor -
Annette Aquin
acting president and CEO
Hamilton Community Foundation
The Hamilton Spectator
(Dec 4, 2009)
Re: 'Where were churches at JPC event?' (Letters, Dec. 2)
We agree with the letter writer that the faith community has a vital role to play in creating a strong, prosperous community. In our experience, it is playing that role very well.
Within the neighbourhoods where Hamilton Community Foundation is focusing its poverty reduction effort, there is significant and growing leadership by a range of faith groups. We can point to the work of Christ's Church Cathedral in the development of the Jamesville Hub, the leadership of St. Giles Church in drawing together a variety of partners to build community in the south Sherman area, the work of Lightway Church in addressing poverty in Riverdale and of New Hope Church doing the same in Crown Point. These are just a few of the examples with which we are familiar.
Just like our local schools, libraries and recreation centres, faith organizations of all types are "anchor institutions" and assets in Hamilton's neighbourhoods. They have a unique and important contribution to building community, and are making that contribution. We have no doubt the faith community will continue to play its leadership role as citizens come together to make Hamilton the best place to raise a child.
- LettertotheEditor -
Annette Aquin
acting president and CEO
Hamilton Community Foundation
The Hamilton Spectator
(Dec 4, 2009)
Re: 'Where were churches at JPC event?' (Letters, Dec. 2)
We agree with the letter writer that the faith community has a vital role to play in creating a strong, prosperous community. In our experience, it is playing that role very well.
Within the neighbourhoods where Hamilton Community Foundation is focusing its poverty reduction effort, there is significant and growing leadership by a range of faith groups. We can point to the work of Christ's Church Cathedral in the development of the Jamesville Hub, the leadership of St. Giles Church in drawing together a variety of partners to build community in the south Sherman area, the work of Lightway Church in addressing poverty in Riverdale and of New Hope Church doing the same in Crown Point. These are just a few of the examples with which we are familiar.
Just like our local schools, libraries and recreation centres, faith organizations of all types are "anchor institutions" and assets in Hamilton's neighbourhoods. They have a unique and important contribution to building community, and are making that contribution. We have no doubt the faith community will continue to play its leadership role as citizens come together to make Hamilton the best place to raise a child.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Relationship not religion
Recently I attended a conference where Paul Young, author of 'The Shack', spoke about the story behind the shack. First, let me say if you haven't read the book, I would encourage you to do so. I want to share with you some of what he shared because I was captivated with his journey of learning about what it means to be a Christian, or a follower of Christ...or whatever you would call it. That is, that God is a God of and in relationship, and is calling us to be in a relationship with Him (Father, Son and Spirit). That relationship is one of mutuality where we come to see ourselves as deeply loved. By virtue of being a Tri-une God (Trinity of Father, Son and Spirit), God achieves mutuality of relationship and by being and doing so, validates relationship and love. As Jesus lived and was fully human he was dependent on the relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus' cry on the cross 'My God, my God, why have your forsaken me - is our cry - he feels our pain and offers up our cries to the Father. He was not forsaken, but ended with a statement of trust in the Father when he commits his spirit. Most of our lives we may not sense the presence of the Father - it takes process, a journey of seeing ourselves in a loving relationship in which the the Holy Spirit is always with us with 'shameless non-condemnation'. Know that God is with you, His image is in you and you are a unique person that matters. That's why you have been invited into a relationship of love and trust with God the Father, Son and Spirit - to experience a mutuality of love.
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