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Sparking Change in Tempe with McClintock High School’s Bike Club
In 2024, the League’s Bicycle Friendly America program awarded Community Spark Grants of $1,500 each to 15 organizations for projects that spark change and catalyze a community’s ability to create places where bicycling is a safe, easy, and more accessible option. This program is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of the CDC’s Active People, Healthy Nation℠ Initiative, which aims to help 27 million Americans become more physically active by 2027. Separately, the program is also supported by General Motors.
In Tempe, Arizona, McClintock High School applied for and received a Community Spark Grant to support their project, “Chain Reactions: Fixing Bikes, Empowering People, Building Community.” Sarah Silverman, teacher and McClintock Bike Club co-founder says, “This grant will help us get so many more bikes into the hands of community members excited to ride. We hope we can get bikes that need a little TLC all fixed up and into the hands of people who need them and will ride them! Every bike we fix or build strengthens the bonds within our community and paves the way for a greener, healthier future for all. By hosting bike events, fixing up bikes, and teaching others how to do it, McClintock High School Bike Club is igniting a chain reaction that gets more people empowered and excited to ride their bikes every day.”
Read on to get inspired by firsthand accounts from Sarah and her students of how and why Bike Club is sparking change in Tempe!
Cycling has always been more than just a mode of transportation. It’s a symbol of freedom, adventure, and a pathway to healthier lifestyles. Nowhere is this more evident than at McClintock High School in Tempe, Arizona, where the McClintock Bike Club teaches students to ride and maintain bikes while promoting a better future through cycling.
Founded in 2023, the McClintock Bike Club has already been named a 2024 Tempe Bike Hero. The club’s mission is to encourage youth cycling. Since its founding, Bike Club has become a beacon of sustainability, community engagement, and healthy living. By focusing on hands-on learning, the club equips students with the skills to maintain bikes, both for themselves and their community.
“McClintock High School Bike Club’s mission is to help more students and community members ride their bikes every day. Although our hometown is a gold-rated Bicycle Friendly Community, only 3.4% of students bike to school. Many more want to, but they just can’t afford to repair their bikes. So, every Friday, we repair bikes for the McClintock community and the Welcome To America Project (a non-profit that resettles refugees) free of charge. Unfortunately, because we’ve lacked advanced tools and have few consumable parts, we historically have only been able to get one or two bikes per month back out on the road.” – McClintock High School’s Spark Grant application
Over the past year, with support from a Community Spark Grant from the League of American Bicyclists and partnerships with Tempe Bicycle Action Group as well as Bike Saviours Bicycle Collective, the club repaired 11 bikes for McClintock students and staff as well as 19 bikes for the Welcome to America Project (WTAP), a non-profit which resettles and gives bikes to refugees. “Even though bikes are often a refugee family’s main source of transportation, last year WTAP could only meet 26% of their demand for bikes. This funding meant that we can help WTAP move closer to meeting the demand for bikes.” Every bike we fix or build strengthens the bonds within our community and paves the way for a greener, healthier future for all.
Another piece of the Spark Grant funding went towards sponsoring club members to learn advanced skills through a Build-a-Bike program. More than half of our Bike Club members don’t have a bike, so this program helps us fill that gap for students while helping them develop bike repair skills that can be passed on to other club members. Two Bike Club members have already built up their own bikes from bottom bracket to headset, and two more are working towards completion. Members are excited to use their bikes for everything including daily commutes, recreational gravel rides, and a 100 mile ride to raise money for finding a cure for multiple sclerosis. Keep reading to hear perspectives from the students themselves on what excites them about bikes and what Bike Club’s impact means to them.
The Joy of Cycling
For many students, cycling can be transformative. Matt Appleton finds a deeper connection between the rider and the bike through repair work. “Working on a bike makes me more excited to ride it because it makes my work seem even more worthwhile,” he explains. For Silas Butler, cycling represents freedom. “You are not limited by gas, battery charge, or factors you cannot control. A bike takes all the energy you give it. It’s one of the most unchained means of transportation,” he says. Connor Clemens highlights the simplicity and satisfaction of cycling. “The wind in your face, the rhythm of pedaling, and the simplicity of it all can make cycling a deeply enjoyable and almost meditative experience,” he notes. For Connor and his fellow club members, cycling is tied to the deep inner joy of liberation and self-reliance.
Health Benefits
Encouraging cycling among young people is an effective way to promote physical activity and healthier lifestyles. In a time when sedentary activities dominate teenagers’ free time and aerobic physical activity is in decline, the McClintock Bike Club offers a refreshing alternative. Salma Abdelnaby emphasizes the connection between cycling and health. “When our club makes bikes more accessible, I’m happy more people get to understand the joy of riding bikes,” she explains. The freedom of travel on a bike supports healthy bodies and minds. Salma adds that cycling promotes “independence, leadership, and self-achievement” all of which contribute to reducing stress and boosting self-esteem.
Environmental Impact
Central to the McClintock Bike Club’s mission is a commitment to sustainability. Cycling is among the most environmentally friendly forms of transportation, and the club encourages students to embrace it as a solution to climate change and pollution.
Matt Appleton notes, “Improving access to bike repair makes my community more environmentally friendly. If community members have better access to bike repair, they are more likely to use their bike, which helps the environment,” he says. Silas Butler points out that increasing the number of cyclists can lead to safer infrastructure. “It encourages safe infrastructure, as more cyclists increase awareness of the changes needed for bike-safe roads and pathways,” he explains. This ripple effect of increasing accessibility could create lasting change, making Tempe a greener, healthier city.
By empowering students with bike repair skills, the McClintock Bike Club fosters a culture of sustainability. The more bikes in good working order, the more likely people will ride them, reducing air pollution, congestion, and traffic fatalities and injuries.
Community Engagement & Inclusion
One of the club’s most remarkable aspects is its commitment to community service. The club isn’t just about teaching students to ride and repair bikes; it’s about using those skills to make a positive impact. Through community outreach programs, the club provides bikes and repair services to those in need, promoting equity and access to sustainable transportation.
“It feels good to fix up bikes because it’s fun, and I know I’m making a greater impact on the community,” Matt says. This sense of purpose drives students to take their work seriously, knowing that each bike they fix can make a real difference in someone’s life. Whether helping a neighbor get back on the road or providing bikes to newcomers, the McClintock Bike Club is making a tangible impact in the community. Connor Clemens finds fulfillment in this work. “Helping to fix up bikes for others, especially within a community, can be very fulfilling. It feels good to know that you’re enabling someone else to enjoy the benefits of cycling,” he says. Through their efforts, the students are building a sense of connection and community—one bike at a time.
“We create a space for everyone, especially those who have historically been left out of the bike community. Because many of our students are from low-income families, when their bikes need routine servicing, they have to stop riding. Community Spark Grant funding means Bike Club is able to help get more students riding bikes daily, by repairing flats, adjusting derailleurs, and much more, free of charge.” – McClintock High School’s Spark Grant application
The Future: Pedaling Toward Long-Term Change
The future of the McClintock Bike Club looks bright. In just one year, it has become one of the most popular clubs on campus and is widely recognized as a key part of Tempe’s bicycle culture. The students themselves sum up the long-term impact of Bike Club best:
Silas Butler envisions the McClintock Bike Club as a future hub for cycling education and community action. “In the future, Bike Club will serve as a space for getting your bicycle repaired, learning about cycling, and more,” he says. He imagines the club hosting rides, sponsoring a high school course on bike repair, and promoting safer infrastructure for multiple transportation modes and healthier lifestyles. Silas noted all of the ways Bike Club has added to cycling culture and accessibility in Tempe over the last year, saying, “We were named City of Tempe Bike Heroes for many of these reasons, and we can only grow from here.”
Salma shares, “As Bike Club grows, I have faith that our community will be more independent as well as healthier. What if Tempe was not just known for the blazing heat but also the wonders of cycling?” Matt adds, “Bike Club has the power to affect the future of Tempe not only through educating youth on bike maintenance and safety but also through helping improve access to bikes for new community members.”
Finally, Connor imagines Bike Club as a critical part of a better future for Tempe: “The long-term impact of our McClintock High School Bike Club, can be profound. It can foster a culture of cycling from a young age, teaching students valuable skills and promoting the idea of sustainability. Over time, this can lead to a community that values and supports cycling, with improved infrastructure, more cyclists on the road, and a greater overall awareness of the benefits of cycling.”