BWORKS is a St. Louis, Missouri, United States, non-profit organization devoted to providing opportunities for youth to develop their academic, vocational, and entrepreneurial skills and to become community leaders.[1] BWORKS is governed by an 11 member all-volunteer board of directors and is operated entirely by volunteers.
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BWORKS was originally created in 1988 by Roy Bohn[2] as BicycleWORKS to provide youth residents of the urban Shaw Neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri with an opportunity to develop mechanical ability, responsibility and leadership skills through repairing and rebuilding donated bicycles. BicycleWORKS was the first program in the St. Louis metropolitan area to use the bicycle as a vehicle to achieve these goals.
In 1996 the BicycleWORKS organization added an additional training program focusing on computer skills call ByteWorks. Much like the earlier bicycle program, participants in this new program were encouraged to develop not only an academic or vocational skill, but also leadership skills.
Saint Louis Bicycle Works, Inc. History (short/summary version)
Bworks, originally known as Saint Louis Bicycle Works, Inc. was founded in 1988 by Roy Bohn, a resident of the Shaw Neighborhood in St. Louis. He saw the need for a program that would encourage the children of the neighborhood to learn a few useful skills and he recognized the potential of the bicycle as a motivating force. In those early years, Bworks was supported financially primarily by grants as well as a few individual donors.
By 1992, the primary volunteers of the all-volunteer saw a need for more organization and accountability. Bworks was re-organized and incorporated with a new Board of Directors, by-laws, and became a 501c3 not-for-profit organization. During this periond, Cindy Brown became the prime mover of BicycleWORKS and another local resident began a program titled “Brains Barn”.
In 1998, Tech Corps Missouri was interested in starting a program that would use refurbished computers to close the “digital divide”. Gavin Perry was already talking to BicycleWORKS about such a program, modeled after their “Earn-A-Bike” program. ByteWORKS was the result. Tech Corps provided the initial group of volunteers, Gavin provided the know-how in regard to hardware refurbish and BicycleWORKS provided the space and the program template. Volunteer Steve DeLorey managed the byteWORKS classes and Gavin Perry managed the byteWORKS shop.
About that time Ken Walter became a volunteer and over time, he assumed responsibility for the shop portion of the operation. Ken also started classes for 2nd and 3rd graders. By the year 2000, classroom presentations concentrated on the concepts behind the OS, the GUI, and the specific applications. This concentration on function instead of form allowed the students to become comfortable using computers no matter what the OS or user interface might be.
For much of the period between 1999 and 2005 Bworks operated on a wing and a prayer. There was little money in the treasury. A few grants were procured and Bworks managed to just barely stay alive. By June 2005, the BicycleWORKS operations were essentially dormant and the ByteWORKS operations were struggling. The Board was ready to close up shop. However, a group of key volunteers decided to make it work.
Several of them became Board members and Officers, new volunteers were recruited for the staff. A key decision to become self funding through the sale of refurbished bicycles and computers was made at that time. Since then, the operations have become self sustaining and the operating fund and development fund have been built up with grant monies. We are currently working on building a Capital Fund.
Since that time, volunteer staff levels have also increased and some internal training is taking place. Bworks has been trying to expand the Board of Directors and bring the associated standing committees to the point where they can be considered operational. Meanwhile, the BicycleWORKS operation has been revived under the direction of Patrick Van Der Tuin and the ByteWORKS operation has been rehabilitated with a new classroom facility, new curriculum built around the Linux Operating system, and a re-organization of the ByteWORKS shop operation. Saint Louis Bicycle Works, Inc. History (long version)
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This started as a brief history of Bworks by Steve DeLorey, I'm trying to expand on it and make it more complete. Eventually it will probably be too long to be useful and an executive-summary type version that can be used for publicity will sprout out of this one.
Nobody has documented the first 20 years of operation of “St. Louis Bicycle Works Inc.,” which is the official name of the organization as registered with the Federal and State government, so this is an attempt to fill that void.
The initial program was bicycle oriented and started in 1988. It was started by Roy Bohn, a resident of the Shaw Neighborhood in St. Louis. He saw the need for a program that would encourage the children of the neighborhood to learn a few useful skills and he recognized the potential of the bicycle as a motivating force. For about 3 or 4 years, the founder and several volunteers whom he recruited ran the program out of the store fronts at 4100 and 4102 Shenandoah.
In those early years, the program was supported financially by the United Way and a few other organizations. The program was long on energy and enthusiasm and short on management and control, particularly financial control.
About 1992, there were some questions raised as to the allocation of funds and the operation was re-organized and incorporated with a new Board of Directors, by-laws, 501 C3 registration etc. Cindy Brown then became the prime mover of BicycleWORKS and another local resident began a program titled “Brains Barn”.
In 1998, Tech Corps Missouri was interested in starting a program that would use refurbished computers to close the “digital divide”. Gavin Perry was already talking to BicycleWORKS about such a program, modeled after their “Earn-A-Bike” program. ByteWORKS was the result. Tech Corps provided the initial group of volunteers, Gavin provided the know-how in regard to hardware refurbish and BicycleWORKS provided the space and the program template.
It took most of '98 and '99 to get the old bicycles out of 4100, get some lab machines set up, get a curriculum prepared, recruit some students and some more volunteers and get started. The first cycle of classes started in September 1999 and graduated in January 2000. Steve DeLorey “managed” the classes and Gavin Perry “managed” the shop.
The initial classes included Hardware, Operating System (DOS), Graphical User interfaces (Windows 95), and Microsoft Applications such as Paint, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Internet Explorer. The initial hardware was pre-pentium with dot matrix printer and a 13” monitor.
About that time Ken Walter became a volunteer and over time, he assumed responsibility for the shop portion of the operation. Ken also started classes for 2nd and 3rd graders.
Some time during 2000 we selected New Deal as the Graphic User Interface to replace Windows 95. New Deal was a software product that ran on top of DOS, had the look and feel of Windows and cost us from $5.00 to $15.00 a license. (It was being used by the public schools in Canada.) It included an office suite and a rudimentary presentation tool and browser. We installed it on the student machines and used it for about three years until the company went out of business. We then got a grant from Microsoft which included 100 or so licenses for Windows so we switched back to Windows. In either case, the class room presentations concentrated on the concepts behind the OS, the GUI, and the specific applications. We concentrated on function not on form and the kids seemed completely comfortable switching back and forth between New Deal at home and Windows at school.
We tried for a year or so to interest older graduates in working in the shop sort of on an apprentice basis. It probably would have worked if we had been able to pay them a nominal wage but the incentive of free computer parts was not enough. During that same time, Cindy Brown started an after school program which utilized the computer lab during the week. It worked for a year or so but Cindy burned out for a variety of reasons and the program sort of died.
During this 6 year period, we were operating on a wing and a prayer. There was little money in the treasury, Gavin procured a grant, Ken procured a grant, Tech Corps Missouri made a grant, then the Board hired a grant writer.
In 2002 the board hired a paid Executive Director. His salary used up most of what was in the Treasury and his “management style” alienated some of the key volunteers.
By June 2005, the BicycleWORKS operations were essentially dormant and the ByteWORKS operations were struggling. The Board was ready to close up shop. However, a group of key volunteers decided to make it work.
Several of them became Board members and Officers, new volunteers were recruited for the staff. A key decision to become self funding through the sale of refurbished bikes and computers was made at that time. Since then, the operations have become self sustaining and the operating fund, and the development fund have been built up with grant monies. We are currently working on building a Capital Fund.
The staff levels have also increased and some internal training is taking place. We have been trying, with only minimal success, to expand the Board of Directors and bring the associated standing committees to the point where they can be considered operational. Meanwhile, the BicycleWORKS operation has been revived under the direction of Patrick Vandertuin and the ByteWORKS operation has been rehabilitated with a new classroom facility, new curriculum built around the Linux Operating system, and a re- organization of the ByteWORKS shop operation.
BWORKS offers three training programs: an Earn-A-Bike Kids program, an Earn-A-Computer children's program, and an Earn-A-Computer Adult program.