Bikes Not bombs is pleased to announce our admittance in the 2009 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) for work place giving. We have been admitted as a member of Peace and Reconciliation Charities (CFC Donor Code: 12431) and will participate in the 2009 CFC, which will kick off around the country in September. The campaign is for all employees of the federal government.

The Boston Phoenix Reader's Poll picked Bikes Not Bombs as the "Best Local Cause!"

Thanks everyone who threw in a vote for BNB!

Check it out at http://thephoenix.com/theBest/Boston/Life/LocalCause/#TOPCONTENT

At the State House transportation is the hot topic and the General Court is moving very quickly on plans to consolidate statewide transportation leadership. There are a few problems with the current discussions, but one that looms over the rest; the MBTA's budget crisis is being ignored over complaints about the gas tax.

January 2009 Update

KOFORIDUA, GHANA: ABILITY BIKES

See David Branigan's blog and photos

Youth programs is seeking two interns for our summer 2009 program season. Interns will assist in program support in the areas of curriculum design, administrative support, program management, and coordination of the annual youth programs summer trip.

Have an old refrigerator? Laptop? We are always on the lookout for some specific things that would really help us. To view the full list with information on how to donate, please see the following page.
http://www.bikesnotbombs.org/donate#stuff

A group of activists in Brattleboro VT have collected over 175 donated bikes, 55 boxes of books, 75 computers, and several wheelchairs for shipment to Ghana.

Goodsearch

BNB can earn a penny every time you search the Internet. What? Yes. Simply go to http://www.goodsearch.com/ (Yahoo-powered search engine) and choose Bikes Not Bombs as the recipient organization. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

Carl Kurz, BNB's International Director and founder, has just visited the Diepsloot Youth Cycles Project, both a youth training center and a full service bicycle shop. Bikes Not Bombs sent bikes, tools, and trainers Alex Twombly and Omar Bhimji to establish this project in 2005.

David Branigan, BNB mechanic, has been in Ghana since May starting a new project (many of you are familiar with the pre-existing Village Bicycle Project in Ghana where we've shipped bikes for years).

We need some special volunteers who can sign on for some regular hours over a long period of time. Let us know what type of schedule might work for you and your skills and interests.

Bike Parts Organizing

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU BIKE-A-THON RIDERS AND VOLUNTEERS! Over three hundred of you riders braved the sweltering heat on Sunday June 8th and made heroic rides. What a day! At 8:30 in the morning the line to check in for the 62 miler stretched across the field.

You all accomplished an amazing thing for Bikes Not Bombs with your fundraising - $95,000 has come in so far and when the remaining pledges come in we're looking at $105,000! Our most successful Bike-A-Thon before this raised $42,000, so we've more than doubled that record. This is an unbelievable success for Bikes Not Bombs! With your help, BNB is keeping up with its expansions in youth leadership and international work.

On Sunday, June 15th Bikes Not Bombs volunteers loaded a 40' shipping container with 464 donated and many buckets and bundles of spare parts, now on its way to the Diepsloot, South Africa "Youth Cycles Project."

We would love a donation of walkie-talkies that get at least a 1-2 mile range or so. They are so helpful to have on youth rides for the leader and the sweeper to communicate if something happens and part of the group gets separated. Contact elijahbikesnotbombs.org