Discover Sixty-Five: May 2022

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Cycling Without Age (CWA) - Nelson Cycling Without Age Nelson is embarking on its fifth season of offering free rides to seniors and others of limited mobility. The goal is to get those who otherwise might be stuck at home out into their communities for socialization and fresh air. Wendy Baker-Konkin first learned of the world-wide organization in 2017 and shared her excitement with anyone who would listen. That is how she met Bob Schmitz, who embraced the vision and donated the fist trishaw bike (Hazel) in memory of his mother. June Spearman joined Bob and Wendy to meet the three director requirement to form a society - and they were off! We asked CWA about the things our Discover Sixty-Five readers might want to know more about. This is what we learned. Canada Day at Lakeside Park Keeping it interesting... Why is there a pile of watermelons? Yup, the annual Canada Day watermelon eating contest, of course :) CWA riders were there. D65: Congratulations on four years of operations. How has that gone? CWA: The response and support from the community has been tremendous. Our ride numbers and regular clients have steadily grown, even through the pandemic. From the comments, smiles, and “thumbs up” we get, we see that the general community likes that we are offering this service. D65: So you were able to continue through the pandemic? CWA: Yes, although we did have some interruptions when pandemic restrictions were the strictest. But as restrictions eased folks looked forward to getting out, and we were able to provide rides using the required and recommended protocols. We’ll continue to do that in the coming year. D65: We understand that you do not charge for rides. How have you been covering your costs? CWA: Yes, rides are always free and always will be. We can do that because we rely on volunteers to do the pedalling. We call ourselves “pilots”. And from the beginning we have enjoyed the generosity of various individuals and oranizations for funding, as well as in-kind support. For example, we have received Columbia Basin Trust funding from Areas E, F, and G, and the City of Nelson as well as donations from Friends of Nelson Elders, The Kootenay Credit Union, Kootenay Co-op, Osprey Community Foundation, Lions Club of Nelson, and the Rotary Club of Nelson. The City of Nelson and Nelson Hydro has been facilitating the placement and powering of our shed in Lakeside Park which was provided and erected with generous consideration by Rona Maglio Building Centre. Secret Service Cycle has been generous in providing trishaw maintenance. So much support to be thankful for. D65: Do you offer, or have you thought of providing, a general trishaw taxi service around town? CWA: In fact, on occasion, we have been asked to do that. But that is not our purpose, which is to help keep people of limited mobility in contact with their community. But we would encourage someone else to take that on as a nice, environmentally friendly, Nelson-like pedal powered venture. D65: What will the coming year bring for you? CWA: We expect our activities to increase significantly. We have already been getting inquiries from individuals and organizations asking about when we will be starting up again. We’ll get going when the paths open up and people are ready 4 May 2022 Discover Sixty-Five email: seniors@pennywiseads.com
to head out. And we have a second trishaw that we’ve named “Edna” to join our original trishaw Hazel, so that we can double our ride capacity at special events. We can now dedicate a trishaw to providing more rides in the greater community, as we’ve done in Balfour, Kaslo, and Ymir already. We should never have to be without a trishaw due to maintenance, and are willing to bring Hazel or Edna to your West Kootenay town! D65: We’ve noticed that you are associated with the Nelson and District Seniors Coordinating Society. CWA: That is correct. They invited us to join them as yet another of their fine programs and services in our community. The arrangement has proven to be quite mutually beneficial. For our CWA chapter it has wid-ened our network of seniors con-tacts and communications, and has provided strong board support on which we are rep-resented. It has also given us the ability to provide charitable receipts for donors. D65: If you are planning for continued growth you are probably wanting to get more people involved. CWA: We definitely want to continue to increase our ridership, so we do encourage folks of any age who might have mobility challenges to request rides. And if anyone knows of someone who would enjoy a ride, we would welcome a request on their behalf. A trishaw ride out into our community in the fresh air is a great way to visit. We are kid and pet friendly, too. We will always welcome volun-teers to help us to coordinate and provide rides. D65: What is the best way to contact you? CWA: To request a ride phone 250-505-1999 and leave a message. Our email is cwanelsonrides@gmail.com. If you see us out and around, say at a special event like Canada Day, please approach us for more information. Our pilots and passengers always like to stop and talk. Pictured here are the Cycling Without Age board - Wendy doing the pedaling, and Bob and June along for the ride! It is a great intergenrational adventure, and can happen in your own community - CWA serves the whole West Kootenay. Cycling Without Age Nelson has accomplished a lot, and brought great joy to a number of riders. If you would like to arrange for a ride, or to volunteer with this worthy endeavour, email them, call or visit their website www.cyclingwithoutage.ca/ nelson They’d be happy to hear from you! ~ D65 Call Kaslo,1-800-663-4619 Discover Sixty-Five May 2022 5
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Discover Sixty-Five: May 2022

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