If there's such a thing as bike karma, Kenneth Walker has it. Last summer, the urban cycling advocate woke up to find a pair of shiny new bikes on his front porch, with nothing but an appreciative note from an anonymous supporter encouraging his work with inner-city kids. This week, the cycling fairy struck again. Walker received an unexpected phone call from New Jersey-based Sanofi-Aventis, a pharmaceutical company with 16,000 employees nationwide.
This week, one of its therapeutics divisions was meeting in Kansas City and, as a team-building exercise, the group built a bunch of children's bicycles. Diana Felts, an official at the conference, says she put in a call to the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce to see who might benefit from a small fleet of kids' bikes.
A few hours later, Walker's phone rang.
In the six months since he started the Urban Kansas City Community of Cycling, which prompted the anonymous doorstep donations, Walker has been tapped by Mayor Mark Funkhouser to serve on KC's Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee and dubbed a Missouri State Ambassador by the League of American Bicyclists. Most recently, he's been working with the Scuola Vita Nuova charter school to prepare a class of seventh-graders for a 225-mile trip over the Katy Trail this summer.
Needless to say, Walker can always use some extra bikes.
So Tuesday evening, he gave a short presentation to a room of 400 pharmaceutical experts. Felts says the crowd was impressed. So was Walker. "I showed up at the Marriott, and I was completely overwhelmed by the number of bicycles," he says.
The timing is right. Walker says he's planning to start youth cycling clubs that would have their home base at area libraries. "Our main barrier has been purchasing enough bikes to be effective," he says. These 17 may be a start.
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Dear Kenneth,
You are not only a credit to yourself but the many who become gifted to know of your valuable presence on this earth your enduring ways and believe in yourself attitude.
You must be proud!?
I also am putting together a similar program and would LOVE to collaborate about your logistics problems. (if any)
My kids and youth bike club has been in the making for some 14 yrs as an idea.
I will be using all my own money initially to fund some bikes, parts and tools to show some heart.
It is my hope also to eventually receive funding from the larger companies that exist in Canada and abroad on a dollar for dollar basis matching mine.
See www.crazylarry.info (Read 'About Crazy Larry'
Congratulations so very much!
Your so deserving of these bikes!
Your bud
Crazy Larry
(from 24hrs of Adrenaline, TransRockies Challenge, and all the championship races in Alberta)
Banff,Alberta
Canada
Kenneth,
You continue to impress...Keep up the good work and don't hesitate to call on me for anything.
Kenneth, You continue to amaze me. I'm honored to call you a friend and am ready to help out in any way that I can. Please don't hesitate to call on me.
Kenneth,
Your efforts and the generosity of others is really making a difference. I'm stoked to see one person trying so unselfishly to make a positive impact in the lives of children.
Keep up the work! I hope we can have Freiker in your area within the next school year. I think it would be a great addition to what you are doing now. You're getting the kids bikes to ride and we would be able to give them the incentive to take it further and ride to school.
Congrats on the success!
Logan
As always, I am impressed with the work ethic, tenacity and sincerity in which you perform your committed tasks. You are an inspiration to us all. I stand ready, as your friend and fan, to assist you in any way that I can.
Eddie
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