HABITAT’S “BIKE GUY”—Mike Secrist

August Volunteer Highlight

RETIRED MECHANICAL ENGINEER IS HABITAT’S “BIKE GUY”

After 29+ years working for a small company outside of Newberg, Mike Secrist hung up his hat as a mechanical engineer.. At first he volunteered refurbishing bikes for Love Inc and later joined the Re-tired Recyclers of Newberg, a group founded in 1996. The Recyclers have fixed broken and donated bikes refurbishing them to a workable and safe transportation for those that buy them. Their initial mission was to rebuild bikes for kids who might want to own them. Now the Re-tired Recyclers have broadened this mission by offering a reconditioned, reliable mode of transportation for anyone who needs a bike.

“Being part of the Re-tired Recyclers gave me a way to keep my hands busy, my mind busy, and also my mechanical aptitude in gear.” His partnering with Newberg Area Habitat for Humanity came about by chance. His wife, Tami, started volunteering at the ReStore in Newberg one day a week. That is when Mike noticed bikes were being donated at the ReStore, and he realized those bikes were neither reliable or safe. At that point he met with Jeremy Shockley, the former ReStore manager, and after that the “Bike Guy” of Newberg Area Habitat was born.

”I’ve probably done 50 bikes since I started repairing bikes for Habitat. It used to be that people donated them and maybe they sold for $5 – $10. Now ReStore sells the refurbished bikes for $35-$65 for kids bikes and an adult bike can sell from anywhere from $65 – $200.” Mike stated that Habitat does not have the money to put into buying parts for these bikes so the Re-tired Recyclers partner to donate parts. “If the bikes are in too bad of shape, we scrape them for parts for other bikes that might be donated. It helps that the Re-tired Recyclers have an inventory of 26 years of used bike parts.”

Like many volunteers working for NAHFH, Mike saw a need and decided to fill it. He saw the bikes being donated and because of his love for riding, he wanted to make sure if a bike that was sold through the ReStore was a safe purchase. “George Fox is close in proximity to the Newberg ReStore. Some of those Fox students might buy a bike for their mode of transportation while they are attending college in our town and the cycle needs to be safe.” The donations and selling of bikes fluctuates from month to month. “Right now we have more kids bikes but next month that could change.”

Mike has refurbished about 50 bikes for the ReStore. Those bikes would have brought in only $250 – $500 before Mike stepped in to fix them. Since collecting ReStore bike donations, Mike’s volunteer talent has helped raise close to $3000-$4000. “Volunteers do not have to be in the store to help out. I have set up my own bike repair shop at my house. Yesterday I dropped off eight bikes, and four of them have already sold by the end of sales today. I still have 12 more to fix in my shop.”

The mission of the Habitat for Humanity ReStore is to generate revenue to support the vision of building more affordable housing options within a community. Wonder how volunteering contributes more funds for our existing projects? “Drive by the College Street build site and see what

is happening. Look what Habitat is doing for our community. Those houses being built are going to families and owning a house is huge.”

Mike and Tammy have three grown kids that have all graduated from college. Since both he and his wife are retired, they spend part of their time volunteering with Habitat and other organizations in Newberg. They also regularly pack their RV and strap on four bikes so they can embark on more two-wheeled adventures too. “We each take a mountain bike and an e-bike so we can ride on the roads and the trails.” Mike’s bike-centric hobby “for the young of heart” has kept the dream of affording a bike a reality for ReStore customers. Thanks, Mike, for refurbishing so the young and seasoned customers can experience the fun and freedom of balancing on a two-wheeler as they hit the road on their own adventures.

A PERSONAL BIRTHDAY BECOMES A FUNDRAISER FOR NEWBERG AREA HABITAT

There are many ways to support Newberg Area Habitat for Humanity. Some volunteers use a hammer and nail at the build site. Others volunteer on given days at the ReStore. Paula Kriz does both of these tasks. This August she went a step further. Instead of having a birthday for herself, she used her birthday to throw a party for her friends, relatives, and NAHFH volunteers, too.

It was a night of music, food, and fun. The night started with music from the Brutal Bridges Band. They graciously played through the night and provided music for the treat walk – patterned after the years gone by cake walk. During the evening, party goers had the opportunity to buy raffle tickets for smaller items and participate in the silent auction. All prizes from boxes of cookies for the treat walk to large items for the silent auction were donated by Paula and Jack Kriz and their friends.

Silent Auction prizes included baskets with themes: bread basket, a dog care basket, game basket, and a margarita basket. Other items included flower arrangements, handmade quilts, a handmade wreath, crochet tablecloths, a porch heater, dinner for four from a gourmet cook, and a weekend cottage at the Oregon Coast. Paula’s friends were more than generous when donating to the party because they wanted to be part of honoring Paula and her service to Newberg Area Habitat for Humanity.

How much can be raised at a small, local event like a birthday celebration? The total raised was $6,383.88. Most of these funds came from the event, but some of her friends who could not attend donated on-line or dropped off cards with cash.

As the sun went down and all prizes were awarded, all the participants had time to visit, dance to the music, and enjoy a smorgasbord of food that was also donated. Thanks, Paula…and Jack…for showing all of us that a community is only as strong as the people who willingly give to those citizens who need our support.