On a Friday afternoon eleven-year-old Joshua DeJesus walked into KVIBE. Joshua appeared bewildered at first but then began digging around the rows of donated bicycles to find a black bicycle frame. Only the handlebars and cranks remained on the black bicycle frame as all other parts had been salvaged. On a Saturday morning Joshua returned to KVIBE yearning to work on the black bicycle. Joshua still appeared rather puzzled by the mechanics of the bicycle but instinctively knew he had to find wheels. While Joshua dug through the mounds of mismatched wheels, fifteen-year-old Prince Gamaio rode into KVIBE. Prince began helping Joshua dig through the mismatched wheels in hopes of finding a coaster brake rear wheel.
Soon Joshua and Prince had most of the pieces of the black bicycle put together. All that was missing was a suitable chain. Courtesy of the generous donations by the community, the boys were handed a brand new chain to make use of on the black bicycle.
By Saturday afternoon eleven-year-old Joshua DeJesus was riding the black bicycle up and down Kamehameha IV Road - the road that KVIBE is located on. Soft-spoken, Joshua said that he was happy with the bicycle “because I can ride with my friends now.” Shortly thereafter Joshua and his friends rode their bicycles off to enjoy the rest of their Saturday.
KVIBE exists to service the youth of Kalihi. Riding a bicycle is perceived as an enjoyable and evolved form of transportation. Bicycles are built, ridden, and discussed with the youth as a path to grander pastures. Donations are greatly appreciated and will directly impact the youth.
As a side note, KVIBE will be closed on Wednesday, September 14th to attend the Complete Streets for Honolulu Workshops by Dan Burden. As the executive director of Walkable and Livable Communities Institute, Burden believes that, “active living is the partial healer of many negative effects that have led to isolation and decreasing health of people. through our work, we show that walkability and livability lead to more attractive and functional communities, which helps improve individual and community health.”
KVIBE is Open. Ride a Bicycle.
2 comments:
Sau, thanks for taking on the challenge of running KVIBE. You'll find that the kids of Kalihi represent the best and worst (only without the right guidance) of what Hawaii has to offer. I was only there for 3 short years (1 year as a volunteer, 2 years as manager) but I learned so much. While we deal in bikes let's never forget that what's most important is that those kids need the most is a passionate, kind, and generous adult mentor. From what I've heard, you're bringing a great level of enthusiasm to the program. That's great - these kids deserve to be challenged to be the best they can be. It sounds cheesy, but these kids have to deal with so much crap just growing up in that area. KVIBE is really the only place where they can be given that chance to rise to the occasion - and in turn be generous mentors to their peers. I wish you the best of luck and look forward to what will come next under your stewardship.
Matt Yee
that's one beautiful bike
and one beautiful story :D
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