Enhancing Lives On Two Wheels

By Mitchell S. Nakagawa
Wednesday - September 09, 2009 Share

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By Mitchell S. Nakagawa, Executive Director
Hawaii Bicycling League

Take the time to dream of our cities and state as a place where our children can bike and walk safely, where bicycling to work is a safe option enjoyed by all. Take the time to dream of a place where people can enjoy the beauty of our ‘aina on a bike, to connect with the unique values and culture that make Hawaii special. Take the time to dream of when people from all over the world come to Hawaii to bike. To see such a dream become a reality, we must work together.

The Hawaii Bicycling League was established in 1975 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit and has 1,000 members. Our mission is to promote cycling for health, recreation and transportation through advocacy, education and events.

Over the past 20 years, the Hawaii Bicycling League, with the support of the City and County of Honolulu, has brought bike education to more than 88,000 fourth-grade children. Student by student, we are sprouting an island population that practices safe bicycling and is encouraging of healthy lifestyles.

Hawaii Bicycling League BikeEd team leader Chet Blanton teaches fourth-graders from Kaiulani Elementary about the rules of the road

The Hawaii Bicycling League has been a strong supporter on all things bicycling, helping move through the city’s Charter Amendment 8 with OneVoice for Livable Islands, Act 286, which elevated Hawaii to be among the nation’s leaders in mandated bicycle funding. We also are supporting Complete Streets, which will make our streets more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly.

We manage two of Hawaii’s largest bicycle rides - the Honolulu Century Ride and John B. Kelley Haleiwa Metric Century Ride - as our primary fundraisers. The rides collectively attract 5,000 annual participants from eight nations and have gained national recognition from Bicycling Magazine as one of “The Best 50 Rides in the USA.” With the strength of the community, we also host weekly beginner to advanced rides on both children and adult education courses.

We need your kokua to continue to push forward. Sign up for the Honolulu Century Ride Sept. 27, or find out how you can volunteer by visiting us at http://www.hbl.org.

Have a question? Call us at 735-5756 or e-mail us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Or stop by our office at 3442 Waialae Ave., Suite 1.

Hawaii charitable organizations may send requests for space in either Proof Positive or the free advertisement below to dchapman@midweek.com.