Here is the update on the Get A Buddy A Buddy Scooter Giveaway.
First, please take a look at the press release here. In that press release you’ll see that we want to extend this to as many worthy recipients as we can but we need the support of some sponsoring people, groups or companies. We could use your help to administer this program, help judge the entries (in to MPG Motors by May 15th at midnight), be here on May 29th. Let us know if you are on-board and we can count on you!
On May 29th, we will be giving away at least one Buddy Scooter at MPG Motors to the individual that needs it the most. That free Buddy, however, needs a Buddy!
How many more scooters can we giveaway?
Here is a message from Ira Faro, a member of the EZ Riders Club. Please read this carefully. Make sure you take a look at the part about the lack of mass transit options for some of the people in his program. This is exactly the type of folks we want to support and this shows how a Buddy Scooter can make a fundamental difference in a person’s life!
Ira writes, “We have a program at the Conference of Churches called PEP (Permanent Employment Program). Primarily funded through United Way, the program recruits and trains men and women with poor job histories but who are serious about looking for full-time work. PEP has three phases. In the initial phase, trainees are taught basic work culture – how to dress, being on time, how to interact with co-workers, creating a resume, and so on. Folks who complete that training go on to the second phase, hands-on training in one of three areas – Food Service, Janitorial, or Basic Office. They do the actual work here at the Conference offices with a regular schedule, time sheets, and they receive a stipend equal to the minimum wage for hours worked. The third phase kicks in when they have completed that training – assistance with job search and mentoring during the early phases of outside employment.
These folks are faced with a number of barriers. They may have grown up without an adult in the house to model the work ethic. There may be child care issues. A major barrier is transportation from their homes (often inner city) to major centers of potential employment – in the Lehigh Valley that would be suburban industrial parks. The Conference can provide bus tickets, but often the only jobs that come open are on the second and third shifts as workers with seniority on those shifts bid down to the more desirable first shift jobs. The buses don’t run that late.
As a former motorcyclist and current scooterist, the idea of being able to win a scooter for one of these deserving folks is very attractive. I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to find funding to purchase scooters for them, even at deep discount, but if telling this story encourages others to participate in this program, you can certainly use our name.”
Thanks Ira for that message and thanks for all the work that you contribute. We are all going to help as much as we can!
