TopLine Financial Credit Union, a Twin Cities-based member-owned financial services cooperative, hosted a bike donation drive with all donations benefiting Keystone Community Services’ Youth Social Enterprise Program, Express Bike Shop. TopLine members, employees and community members dropped off their bikes and bike parts to help local youth. As the drive wrapped up, TopLine collected a total of 186 bikes.
The bicycle donations supported Express Bike Shop that specializes in refurbished bicycles and is also a youth employment program under the Keystone Community Services non-profit umbrella. The bike shop thrives in large part from the generosity of donors. Bicycle donations are needed to provide the inventory for youth to refurbish and sell, and supports the 200-hour apprenticeship program giving youth real-world entrepreneurship experience running a bike shop.
Keystone’s Youth Apprenticeship Employment Program, is a youth directed social enterprise, serving as a learning lab for young people entering the workplace, with all revenue reinvested back into the program. This youth development and entrepreneurial training program teaches young people real world job skills and provides employment opportunities as paid apprentices.
Youth who participate in the program gain a valuable “first job” experience that emphasizes work readiness skills and an entrepreneurial spirit in a fun, engaging and team-building format. The multi-session curriculum consists of mini-lessons, group challenges and off-site field studies to reinforce concepts. Each apprentice is required to work 200-plus hours and at the end of the program becomes certified in bicycle repair and small business skills.
“We are grateful for all of our generous bike donors who dropped off their unused bike to support a local St. Paul community’s non-profit youth employment program,” says Mick Olson, TopLine President and CEO. “It’s great to see these bike donations help teens and young adults develop critical work-readiness skills to prepare them for their futures as a 100% of profits made from selling the bikes are reinvested back into the youth apprenticeship program.”
“On behalf of Keystone Community Services and Express Bike Shop, thank you to all TopLine members who donated bikes and in turn supported our youth employment programs! We are so grateful for TopLine’s partnership for hosting such a successful bike drive event that provides youth career-readiness opportunities and work experience,” says Adero Riser Cobb, President of Keystone Community Services.
TopLine Financial Credit Union Hosted Bike Drive To Benefit Youth Apprenticeship Program