Written by Jimmy Hallyburton

This year I will renew my BBP Membership (#1) for the 10th time. I created our Membership Program in 2009, the year we packed up shop in the old Boise Rescue Mission and pedaled everything over to our current location on Lusk St. Our original Membership card background is actually a silhouette of me moving about 5 bikes from one location to the other. 

Each year I get excited about renewing, because I know my BBP Membership makes it possible to continue our “less sexy” programs that don’t have dedicated grant funding. Programs like Work Trade that make it possible for EVERYONE to have access to our shop, our inventory, and our repair services regardless of their income. Or programs like Operation Kickstand that teach incarcerated men, some in for life sentences without parole, how to fix bicycles for teens in urgent need. These men may never see life “on the outside” again, but because of funding from our Membership Program, they will have a chance to give back to the community and create positive change for others.

What I have the privilege to witness first hand that many people don’t, is the impact. I can walk into Pastry Perfection and see Mark, one of our past Work Traders, mixing dough in the back, his bike parked out front. Mark will tell me how our Work Trade program helped him get sober, get off the street, and get a job he’s proud of. I have the privilege to work with Albert, a man serving a life sentence at the South Men’s Correctional Facility, who wakes up excited to teach other inmates to wrench on bikes. For the first time since he’s been incarcerated, he has a sense of purpose. Albert has done terrible things in the past, he can’t change that, but now he’s doing everything he can to create a brighter future for others.  

When I renew my BBP Membership, I will get all of the benefits that come with it (discounts , free shop time, access to place where EVERYONE is welcome and ALL bikes belong), and I will also know that my purchase benefits those born into a set of obstacles I’ve never faced. My membership will help break down some of those obstacles. My membership will empower others with hope and community connection. 

That’s why I’m renewing, and that’s why I’m asking you to do the same or join for the first time.