SF Bicycle Coalition volunteers gathered together Thursday, June 25, for our Summer Volunteer Appreciation party. All active volunteers from the past six months were invited to attend this evening event, hosted at the Dolan Law Firm, and featuring yummy beer donated by New Belgium Brewing and delicious caramels and chocolates donated by Littlejohn’s Candies.
During the party, volunteers formed teams for three friendly rounds of bike-themed trivia. In case you’re a trivia buff and missed the volunteer party, don’t worry! You can still test your bike geek knowledge on these sample questions (answers at the bottom), and you can still volunteer! First, the questions:
- The term “sharrow” is a portmanteau of what two words? BONUS POINT: In what U.S. city did the term “sharrow” originate?
- What is the name of the German band who produced a 2003 concept album called Tour de France Soundtracks?
- Which 3-block bike lane received the “America’s Best New Bike Lane” award in 2014 from People for Bikes?
Ok, now that you’ve won on all the questions, does volunteering pique your interest? Volunteers are crucial to the success of our organization, helping out with everything from data entry in the office to outreach on the streets of San Francisco. Since the beginning of 2015, over 500 people have joined us at volunteer events across the city, from Volunteer Night to Valet Bike Parking, Freedom from Training Wheels to Bike to Work Day.
We’re only halfway through the year, and we’ll need the support of hundreds more volunteers to get there. Plus, we have these Volunteer Appreciation parties twice a year, so if you volunteer with us, we’ll invite you to the next one! Here are some of the great upcoming projects we’ll be looking to you to support this summer, fall and winter:
Bicycle Ambassador outreach:* SF Bicycle Coalition members, come to one of our upcoming trainings to get up to date on what’s going on with the SF Bicycle Coalition and learn how to sign up new members. This training will also prepare you to volunteer at races, festivals, Service Stations and other events. Sign up for a training.
Valet Bike Parking: Summer and fall are our busiest season for Valet Bike Parking. We’ll be parking bikes at music festivals, street fairs and more. Come help us keep bikes safe!
Freedom from Training Wheels: Teach the next generation the joys of biking at one of our Freedom from Training Wheels workshops! Our experienced staff will give you the skills you need to help kids scoot, balance and glide on their bikes. Join us.
Tour de Fat:* This annual new Belgium bike and beer ballyhoo takes place in Golden Gate Park. Join us for the hoot’n and holler’n good time. San Francisco Bicycle Coalition members are invited to join our team of nearly 200 volunteers who help make this amazing event possible (earning a free drink token and eternal gratitude in the process). Sign-ups will open in late July.
Winterfest:* The SF Bicycle Coalition’s annual member party, art auction and fundraiser is not to be missed! Member-volunteers support all aspects of this event, helping set-up stations, run fun games, pour libations and more, and are rewarding with a drink token and free event admission (plus infinite warm fuzzies). Sign-ups will open in September.
Light up the Night:* Our annual bike light distribution campaign kicks off after daylight savings. In partnership with the SFMTA, we install 1,000 lights every year on the bikes of those riding without them. Sign-ups will open in October.
And that’s just a preview! To make sure you’re the first to hear about these great upcoming projects, sign up today to receive our twice-monthly volunteer newsletter.
*Please note: you must be a member to volunteer with any of the opportunities with an *. Membership costs as little as $35 per year, or you can earn a free barter membership by volunteering 10 hours in a three-month period!
Answers: 1) “share” and “arrow” Bonus: San Francisco! 2) Kraftwerk 3) Polk Street.
