Children of local Binghamton residents have recently been given the opportunity to enjoy a new type of day care and after-school program.
The Lee Barta Community Center is offering a program called Fresh Cycles that has elementary-age children working on bicycle repairs during the day and doing other activities in the after-school program, including homework, arts and crafts, creative writing, martial arts and different types of dancing.
Due to a limited amount of space, only five to six children can work in the bike garage with the instructor at a time.
Although the program has just begun, participants in the project are hopeful that it will continue to grow.
“One of the goals of this program is to have within its very structure the ability to sustain itself,” Simon Ouderkirk, a volunteer at the community center, said.
The program, which began last February and has run once a week since, was designed to give students a tutorial on bicycle repair and maintenance. Last week, the program expanded to three days a week.
“We’re hoping that our expansion to three days a week will help us service more kids,” Ouderkirk, a BU alumnus from the class of 2007, said.
Between 40 and 60 children have turned in permission slips for the program. Ouderkirk said volunteers usually see 20 to 25 children per session.
Each child participating in the program receives a bicycle.
“The kids were given a bike after completion of 10 classes that were two hours long,” Ouderkirk said, “which is a big deal because we work with kids from low-income families.”
“Giving away a bicycle is a cornerstone of the program,” he added.
The center is currently looking for volunteers who have had experience with children.
“We are looking for volunteers who have a passion they would like to share with the kids,” Jacquelyn Janowski, a volunteer with the Fresh Cycles Youth Program, said.
According to Janowski, there are currently no BU students volunteering at the program, but current volunteers would love to have some help. College and high school students’ time and energy would be extremely helpful to the program, she said.
There are open hours at Lee Barta on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. The center is located at 38 Hawley St. on the fourth floor of City Hall.
Anyone interested in volunteering or finding out more information about the program can call (607) 724-2489 and ask for Janowski.