Quick releases

Mr. Neufeld goes to SRAM
Congratulations to Randy Neufeld, who announced last month that he will be moving on to SRAM as its new Cycle Funding Director. Randy will oversee the spending of $10 million in grants that will go toward developing cycling infrastructure, safety and access. Randy will stay very connected to Active Trans as a board member and working to connect our organization to other national advocacy efforts.

Meals on wheels
Give date night a whole new spin! If you missed this month’s Suburban Bike and Dine, have no fear: we have two more scheduled Aug 8 and Sept. 26. Tour some of the hottest spots in the Western Suburbs by bike and enjoy delicious food and drink. More details at www.activetrans.org/bikeanddine.

Vegging out
Special thanks for our Veggie Bike and Dine restaurant partners. Participants will tour Chicago gardens and local restaurants Aug. 15. Stops include Howard Area Community Garden, Lakeside Café, Taste of Lebanon Restaurant, Ginkgo Organic Garden, Chicago Diner, Trotters To Go, Old Town Triangle. The Veggie Bike and Dine again parterns with NeighborSpace to celebrate conscious dining and sustainable transportation. Check back next year. This ride is sold out!

Ch-ch-changes
Active Trans is welcoming some new faces and new roles on staff

Holly Knights, Walk Across Illinois Program Coordinator
Holly is excited to be back in Chicago and to bring a new program to the youth of the Chicago Public Schools. For the past two years, Holly managed a mentoring program in the St. Louis Public Schools. Prior to that, she taught second grade there for two years as a Teach For America corps member. Preceding St. Louis, Holly invested herself in low-income home repair in rural Appalachia. Holly attended the University of Iowa, where she earned a BA in both Dance and American Studies. She loves camping, live music and margaritas.

Leslie Phemister, Walk Across Illinois Program Coach
For the last 2 ½ years, Leslie worked as Active Trans’ Southland Safe Routes to School Coordinator, helping make children in the south suburbs more active by encouraging walking and biking to school. She has lived in several of the south suburbs of Chicago, from Riverdale to Chicago Heights to Manteno, and now resides in Homewood. Leslie did not obtain a drivers license until she was 18, so she rode her bike everywhere and continued to do so even after she could drive. She has worked as a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, swim instructor, and has other certifications, all aimed at keeping people healthy. Her philosophy is that good habits start when you are young and they are the best way to an active adulthood.

Chelsea Richer, Safe Routes Ambassador Coordinator at CDOT
Chelsea is thrilled to join Active Trans. Most recently, Chelsea was interning at the Center for Neighborhood Technology, which validated her tendency to be a policy wonk about anything related to transportation, climate change or energy efficiency. Chelsea loves public affairs, particularly for the quirkiness of local politics, the spectacle of national politics and the magnitude of international politics. She enjoys cooking without using a recipe, living in the Midwest, and the board game Scrabble. Chelsea has a BA in Environmental Studies and Public Policy from the University of Chicago.

Jessica Maimone, Director of Sponsorship
As director of sponsorship, Jessica is responsible for generating revenue for Active Trans through corporate sponsors. Jessica previously worked for WNBA Chicago Sky as Marketing Manager of Partnerships. She is originally from Dayton, Ohio and has been in Chicago for the past 5 years. She enjoy being active especially through biking and running and compete in triathlons and marathons, including this year’s Chicago Marathon.

Community bike day huge success
A community came together in May for the Back of the Yards Community Bike Day to fix bikes and provide other tips and resources. More than 300 people – adults and children - came out with bikes that needed repair. More than half of them weren’t rideable and needed major repairs. The goal of the event was to raise awareness of bicycle being use as transportation and to repair bike so they can be used for the summer. It was a success! The two repair stations at the event were overwhelmed with the number of bikes that needed fixing. But all of the bikes were repaired. The partners of this event now know that there are a lot of people in the community who want to bike, but don’t have the resources to repair them when they break. It also highlights a broader problem. This community has no bike lanes, hardly any bike parking and no bike shops. But the high attendance of our event shows that there is a demand for these resources. Look for an event like this next year! Active Trans partnered with Sherman Park, Back of the Yard Neighborhood Council, Sherman Park Library, After School Matters (Tilden), XXX Racing Athletico Team, Blackstone Bicycle Works, Mayor Daley's Bicycling Ambassadors, Mayor Daley's Safe Route Ambassadors, Alderwomen Thomson and the 9th District hosted the event. -- Cynthia Bell.