This statement rings so true for me, especially after the trying year we just had as an organization, and as a community. As Bike Easy’s Program & Operations Manager, I make sure our staff has what they need to improve biking in Greater New Orleans. Working remotely made my job much harder, but thanks to the partnerships we forged, we grew exponentially and touched the lives of so many people.
I know I’m not alone in saying that this year we’ve had to rely on each other more than ever. This pandemic has challenged us in incredible and awful ways, but it has also forced us to cultivate new partnerships throughout our community, partnerships that ultimately made us stronger and will make biking easier, safer, and more fun for years to come.
Through the countless webinars I’ve taken these last 12 months, myself and Bike Easy have exchanged invaluable ideas and support with fellow non-profiteers (did I just coin that term?). I’m sure all of us have similar stories from this past year, but I want to take a minute to share Bike Easy’s stories.
Here’s just a few examples of our partnerships this past year:
- BYOBikes – to educate kids and give away over 100 bikes during their Celebration of the Spokes in December.
- Screens for Good – to make ‘Bike NOLA’ shirts and totes with part of the proceeds going to Bike Easy.
- Krewe of House Floats – to create bike routes to various house floats as a new way of exploring the city during this year’s Mardi Gras.
- Bike Mechanics – to organize a bike maintenance day for our #BikeMatch program.
Our community had to improvise, adapt, and overcome so much in just a year. I want to extend a big thank you to all of our partners and Bike Easy Members who have made this journey easier to deal with. For those we haven’t partnered with yet, take this as an invitation to work with us and make Greater New Orleans an even more bike friendly place.
If you represent an organization, just email info@bikeeasy.org and we’ll set up our first meeting! If you know of an organization you think would like to partner with us, please send this blog to them.
Thank you for being a part of the Bike Easy community. At the end of the day, we’re all partners in making biking easy, safe, and fun in Greater New Orleans.
