WBR in D.C.
Recently World Bicycle Relief rolled into the nation’s capital and shook up some dust. Here are the highlights.
World Bank Panel Presentation
Mike Kollins, World Bicycle Relief COO, started out WBR's D.C. week with a panel presentation at The World Bank alongside Julie Babinard, and Jacob Seigel-Boettner, Co-Director/Producer of the documentary film, With My Own Two Wheels. The panelists spoke about the power of bicycles as a vehicle for change and Mike shared the very encouraging early program results from WBR’s Bicycles for Educational Empowerment Program (BEEP). Highlighted was WBR's emphasis on girl students’ success through simple, sustainable transportation. A WBR bike was also on hand for participants to ride! You can read more about The World Bank's interest in bicycles for the developing world in Julie Baninard's blog post on the The World Bank Transport Blog.
Capitol Hill or Bust
Next stop, Capitol Hill where WBR met with congressional staff from across the country; literally - representatives from California to NYC attended what was likely the most formal environment a WBR bike has ever landed in. Response to the event was fantastic. It was encouraging to see the Capital Hill audience so enthusiastic about the bicycle as a tool for development. Later that afternoon, WBR attended meetings with Representative Lois Capps (D-CA) and Representative Earl Blumenauer's staff.
Partner Orgs, The State Department and Grassroots Supporters
The remainder of the week was spent with partner NGOs who use WBR bicycles in their programs as we talked about ways to expand our work with multi-national institutions. We also met with State Department staff, working in disaster relief, to identify areas for future partnerships. Finally, we took the opportunity to meet with some of our amazing grassroots supporters in the D.C. area. Phew!!!
Future Plans
Plans are underway for a 2011 WBR D.C. supporters’ event later this year, so stay tuned as we continue to share the power of bicycles with the U.S. capital city.
