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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSan Luis Obispo Bicycle Coalition, dba Bike SLO CountyHuman Services Grant Application 2024-25 Application Questions Part 1 Basic Information 1. Organization Name * San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition, DBA Bike SLO County 2. Fiscal Agent (if different than above)* NA 3. Project/Program Name * Cycling Without Age 4. Requested Amount * $5,500 5. Name of Person Completing Application * Rick Ellison 6. Name of Person for Grant Communication and Contract for Grant Cycle (if different from above)* Rick Ellison 7. Organization Mailing Address * 860 Pacific St, Suite 105, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 8. Phone * 805.547.2055 9. Email * rick@bikeslocounty.org Part 2 Organizational Information 1. Purpose/Mission Statement * Bike SLO County inspires, educates, advocates, and works to build a safe, healthy, and connected community through bicycling. 2. Briefly describe your organization’s purpose, vision, primary activities, and operating structures * Purpose: To connect SLO County through bicycling, sustaining the health of our community, and supporting the Central Coast environment. Vision: Bicycling is safe, viable and popular for everyday transportation and recreation throughout San Luis Obispo County. Bike SLO County is a 501(c)3 public benefit corporation, overseen by the Board of Directors, and led by executive director, staff, and volunteers. In 2024, Bike SLO County is launching a new program serving seniors called Bike SLO County - Cycling Without Age (CWA). Cycling Without Age is a successful, existing international project with over 3,000 chapters worldwide. CWA seeks to find individuals who are socially isolated at home and/or in nursing/assisted living facilities and offer an engagement opportunity to be a passenger on a trishaw (a three-wheeled bike with a pilot in the back and a comfortable chariot-style seat for passengers in front). Social isolation has always been a problematic issue facing aging populations; living alone, chronic illness or caring for a declining spouse, hearing loss, and the slow loss of family and friends are all risk factors facing SLO seniors. Additionally, minorities and LGBTQ communities are among the most vulnerable. Cycling Without Age aims to reduce loneliness, increase connections and meaningful relationships, and help all seniors get outside to enjoy their streets, neighbors and communities. 3. Name of Executive Director * Rick Ellison 4. Name of Board President or Chair * Gary Havas 5. Number of paid staff (full or part-time)* 6 6. Number of volunteers * 30 7. Describe the community(ies) your organization supports * Since its founding in 2001, Bike SLO County has been the preeminent organization for bicycling advocacy, education and inspiration in SLO County. Advocacy efforts focus on connecting SLO County cities and communities through safer roads and trails. Education endeavors span all ages, highlighting cycling safety (at schools, community centers, etc), identifying community members in need of free bicycles (RideWell program), and bike repair education center (Bike Kitchen). The bike valet services at community events also provide parking assistance during community events. Cycling Without Age will serve SLO County, starting with SLO City residents living at home and in residential care and nursing facilities (also welcoming referrals to assist younger disabled individuals - school age and up). Community organizations and CWA will partner to identify people who are socially isolated and/or unable to leave their residence and take folks for bicycle rides on trishaws or wheelchair-accessible bikes (called wheel chariots). 8. Approximate Annual Budget * $300,000 9. Major Sources of Funding * Private gifts, grants, contracts and sales of used bicycles Part 3 Project/Program Information 14. In the table below include a minimum of four (4) metrics or performance outcomes that relate to the implementation/success of the project. Examples include: # of SLO City residents served, # of referrals provided to individuals seeking social services. Methods of Evaluation Indicators of Success / Measurable Outcomes Post-ride pilot reports Feedback and evaluation documentation from riders and facilities. 350 riders are projected for 2024-25, attempting to receive feedback from all riders. Program coordinator documentation of all facility outreach and referral inquiries Outreach to 20 community referral agencies (nursing/assisted/residential care facilities and social service agencies). Program coordinator documented education to senior facilities Growth to four senior facilities committed to participate on a regular basis Documented engagement with community members for volunteering 10 pilots trained in period of grant cycle 1. Please provide an executive summary of proposed project/program * The new Bike SLO County program, Cycling Without Age, addresses social isolation for seniors by offering bicycle rides for those who can no longer cycle. Loneliness is a barrier to community engagement and often leads to depression and physical decline. CWA strives to reach community members struggling to get outside and socially engage, and provides the unique opportunity to connect while cycling. The program aligns with the DEI office goals of valuing our diverse senior community, and promoting equity and belonging through the shared activity of a bike ride. Additionally, while passengers get the joy of riding in a bike, perhaps for the first time in many years, volunteers simultaneously will be fulfilled by being outside, riding and talking with seniors who want to feel energized and valued. All participants will be sharing movement, setting the stage for stories, jokes, and the simple pleasure of being heard by someone who cares. 2. Total Project Cost?* $48,810.00 3. Requested Project Amount * $5,500.00 4. Please provide a detailed description of proposed project/program * Bike SLO County is starting a new program called Cycling Without Age to address senior social isolation. Bike SLO County will purchase trishaws (and eventually, wheelchair-accessible bikes called wheel chariots) by the summer of 2024, and start offering rides to passengers who can no longer cycle by themselves. The three-wheeled trishaws will arrive sometime in late 2024/early 2025. Social isolation is linked with grave health concerns (premature death, higher rates of depression/anxiety) and even increases the risk of dementia and other conditions such as strokes/heart disease. Finding ways to make connections and foster engagement and inclusivity in the senior community has never been more critical. Cycling Without Age will address the overall quality of life for seniors by helping withdrawn SLO County seniors get outside and engage with their communities through riding on a bike. Pilot training While Bike SLO County CWA is new, there is an existing chapter in our neighboring city, Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara CWA has offered to let Bike SLO County CWA come and use bikes for initial training, and the goal is to take the first SLO passengers on rides in winter of 2024/25 (trishaws currently take approximately six months to arrive). While trishaws are on order, volunteers will be recruited and onboarded through Bike SLO County. Bike SLO County has League Certified Instructors (L.C.I); there will be training on bicycle/trishaw safety, working with diverse senior populations (education on dementia, LGBTQ sensitivity, etc), and significant time spent getting familiar and comfortable riding solo/with passengers on the trishaws. Once the trishaws arrive, the first rides will be sessions to get the community acquainted with the cycles - facility residents can take parking lot rides, and staff/volunteers will take bikes to the senior center, farmer’s markets, and other local events to let people see and touch the bikes, and ask questions. Once the program is active, monthly volunteer meetings will be offered to gather and receive additional training, feedback and reflect on the CWA volunteer experience. Rides A sample volunteer session/ride: volunteers will begin a session at the trishaw storage facility. They will assess bikes for safety, and then ride to a residential home or nursing/assisted living facility. CWA staff will have ongoing relationships with facility staff, in particular activities directors, to determine which residents want and/or would benefit from taking a ride each week. CWA will also receive referrals from community organizations such as Home Health and Hospice agencies, Meals that Connect, the SLO Senior Center, etc. For passengers getting on/off the trishaws, assistance will be coordinated with facility staff or home caregivers/family members. Volunteers will manage to get passengers settled and comfortable (offering helmets, blankets, etc), and have all necessary paperwork completed and on-board for the ride (waivers signed, DNR/Advanced Healthcare Directives, emergency contact numbers, etc). Once ready, volunteers will bike passengers, preferably on protected lanes/paths, to desirable locations around town, focusing on parks, outdoor beautification areas, downtown businesses (sponsors have been identified to offer beverages/treats, if desired during a ride) and the Cal Poly campus. Initially, rides will last 30-60 minutes for facilities, depending on passenger preference, and volunteers will likely take two groups of passengers per 2-hour volunteer session. For home passengers, there will likely only be one set of passengers per 2 hour session. At the beginning, CWA plans to send both trishaws out at the same time, to increase safety, visibility and the “fun factor” for volunteers and passengers. Volunteers and passengers will have uninterrupted time to engage with one another and experience the town at a relaxed pace. CWA’s guiding principles are generosity, slowness, storytelling, relationships and no age limits. The simple goals are to share stories, hear one another and connect. To feel valued, included and enjoy the outdoors. The design of the trishaws allows for all of the above - with pilots and passengers so close to one another, talking while cycling is easy, and the seniors get to face outward, engaging effortlessly with people walking, driving and working on streets. 5. Describe the community/population the project/program will support.* Approximately 20% of residents in the city of SLO are over the age of 65 - about 6,400 seniors. Cycling Without Age will primarily target older adults to receive services, encouraging referrals from professional agencies (ie: Home Health/Hospice organizations, social services, mental health organizations, etc). Alternative referrals can also be made for mobility challenged passengers of any age (examples from SB CWA have included disabled adults of any age, and elementary students on bike-to-school days, where volunteers have taken students out for all-school rides with their peers). 6. The HRC has identified homeless prevention including affordable and alternative housing, supportive services, and transitional housing as the main funding priority. Does your grant request meet this funding priority?* Yes No 7. Which other priority of the non-ranked HRC funding priorities does your request support? Please check the appropriate boxes:* Hunger and malnutrition prevention Supportive physical and mental health services for those in need Services for seniors and/or people with disabilities in need Supportive and developmental services for children and youth in need Services encouraging diversity, equity, and inclusivity in marginalized communities 8. Provide timeline for project * Cycling Without Age joined Bike SLO County in February of 2024. While trishaws are on order, volunteers will be onboarded and trained, with the first passengers taking rides by late 2024/early 2025. Growth of CWA SLO will be built by networking with nursing/assisted living facilities to purchase and maintain additional trishaws or wheel-chariots; Bike SLO County will provide ongoing volunteer support, training and schedule management. For the first few years, Bike SLO County plans to purchase 1-2 more trishaws, as demand increases. 9. Identify any partnerships/collaborations that are supporting this project/program and their roles * Cycling Without Age/Bike SLO County are currently fundraising for the first trishaws (to be purchased as a pair). While growth within Bike SLO County is anticipated, another goal is for assisted living facilities to purchase trishaws and wheel-chariots to keep and maintain at their buildings. Volunteers would still be provided and managed by Bike SLO County. This partnership with community organizations is key for growth, as it will spread trishaws around the city, enabling more weekly rides by sharing resources in neighborhoods that may be economically, racially and ability diverse. The overall goal for all CWA trishaws and wheel-chariots will be to be ridden as much as possible, serving as many individuals as want rides and social engagement. 10. Describe your plan for sustainability beyond the City’s one-year award funding * Bike SLO County and CWA have secured multi-year private donor funding, and will continue to seek gifts and grants from sources such as the Community Foundation of SLOCO. Since Cycling Without Age was created in 2012, thousands of chapters have been established in more than 40 countries. Research and information provided by a few CWA chapters indicates that the program is attractive to prospective corporate sponsorship and individual donors. 11. Describe the plan for promoting this project, program, or service within the City of San Luis Obispo * Networking will be integral to the start of CWA. Taking trishaws to farmers markets, senior centers, assisted living/nursing facilities will get seniors to see the bikes and potentially take a test ride. Volunteer recruitment will occur with many local organizations (ex: SLO Bike Club, CalPoly, friends, neighbors, etc) to attract individuals to pilot. Service Clubs will also be part of growth and community participation - outreach to organizations including the Elk’s Club and Monday Club. Bike SLO County and CWA will facilitate outreach, ongoing education and ride opportunities in order to promote and start services. Senior living facilities will also be a core part of the success, as their activities directors and caregivers will assist with identifying passengers, and helping during sessions for safety. 12. Est. Number of people served through this project/program * 350 13. Est. Number of SLO City Residents served through this project/program * 350 Attachments Copy of Organization’s most recent complete fiscal year financial statement (for the previous year because it is the middle of the current fiscal year) including a statement of financial position/balance sheet, statement of revenue & expenses/income statement, profit & loss. Financial Statement * Financial Reports 2023.pdf 1.52MB 1-page Organization Chart * Bike SLO County Org Chart - Google Docs.pdf 74.08KB Document Certifying Federal Tax-Exempt Status * IRS Determination Letter.pdf 174.67KB 1-page detailed budget for the program including how the total requested amount of grant would be spent.   Budget * Bike SLO County Cycling Without Age Budget.pdf 51.92KB 1-page DEI statement that includes: Applicants’ understanding and application of DEI Affirming language that creates access and a sense of belonging in our community apart from grant Explain how this project will advance DEI in the City of SLO DEI Statement * Bike SLO County CWA DEI Statement - Google Docs.pdf 67.81KB Bike SLO County Org Chart 2024 Bike SLO County Cycling Without Age Budget 2024-2025 DEI Other Funding Total Total Expenses $5,500 $43,310 $48,810 Trishaws 2 trishaws @$14,500 ea. (6mo lead time includes shipping) $0 $29,000 $29,000 Trishaw Accessories Blankets, helmets, locks, lights, etc $1,000 $0 $1,000 Volunteer Management 384 hrs/yr @ $35/hr $0 $13,440 $13,440 Insurance Increased cost to Bike SLOCO $500 $0 $500 Bike Maintenance 3% of purchase price of trishaws $0 $870 $870 Background Check of Volunteers 15 reports @$100ea $1,500 $0 $1,500 Advertising Printed materials, volunteer shirts/bike flags, logo development $2,500 $0 $2,500 1 2 1 Private gift funding secured 2 In-kind volunteer effort Bike SLO County Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion and Nondiscrimination Bike SLO County embraces the values and beliefs which support and reflect inclusion and appreciation of all individuals, regardless of race, color, age, physical or mental ability, medical condition, religion, creed, sex, gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, or national origin or ancestry. We believe that our organization benefits from the creativity and innovation that results when people who have different perspectives and cultures work together. Bike SLO County is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all those with whom we come in contact including staff members, volunteers, our board of directors, students, parents, educators, community partners, and the public. Our commitment is to operate programs that are inclusive, respectful, and that honor all perspectives. We treat all individuals with respect and dignity, and we work to ensure that our organizational culture reflects our values of relationship building, peacemaking, inclusiveness, and accountability. We integrate inclusiveness and diversity by honoring the beliefs, language, opinions, interpersonal styles, and values of all individuals. We are intentional in our continued effort to grow diversity among our board, staff, volunteers, and community partners, and to cultivate an environment in which all who are involved in our organization feel included, valued, respected, and embraced. As an organization, we are driven by our mission, vision and purpose. Therefore we are: Mission-driven Open Caring Respectful Purposeful Transparent Compassionate Inclusive Persistent Thoughtful Appreciative and grateful Honest Cycling Without Age (CWA) advances Bike SLO County’s diversity of services and significantly increases the organization's reach into the senior community. By highlighting social isolation, and offering services specifically to a group of seniors that have slipped through societies’ cracks, Bike SLO County equitably offers quality-of-life programming to a group who is disproportionately affected. And by providing services to all ages of mobility challenged and homebound individuals, Bike SLO County offers truly equal access to cycling services, and all SLO residents can feel empowered to experience cycling in their community, Additionally, by working in senior facilities that receive residents directly from hospitals, CWA offers a program to a racially diverse group of older adults. Many people who may have never had access to a bicycle or education on cycling safety, or they stop riding in later years due to safety or balance concerns. CWA picks up where seniors may be forced to leave off - providing rides to those who find it physically hard or even impossible to experience the outdoors and their community on a bike.