SMART is hoping to acquire a charging back plus an ice cream maker attachment for our Fender Blender bike. We want to become a healthy eating and emergency preparedness hub to our community.
Leader
Christina Rodriguez
Location
158 East 115th street New York, NY 10029
Over the past year, SMART initiated a fundraising project to purchase a Fender Blender bike, a stationary bicycle with a blender attached to the front, the blender being activated by human pedal power. The Fender Blender makes healthy, delicious smoothies and is a fun and functional means of exercise. Having acquired the bike and showcased it at health fairs and SMART cooking classes with enormous success, we see great potential in enhancing our existing bike with an ice cream maker attachment, as well as adding an additional bike designated as a “Charging Station.” Like the Fender Blender, the Charging Station bike will be able to charge mobile devices through human pedal power, and will be a further opportunity to promote green energy options. It will also be of essential use in emergency situations. Both bicycles are attention grabbers and will draw people to our events and tables at community fairs where we can offer information about our core programs, which focus on food and nutrition, as well as other supportive services. Our entire staff (of 5) will be integral to our project’s success.
1. Attend health fairs and other community events to gain support from individuals and organizations
2. Gain emails, phone numbers, and more to contact potential donors
3. Direct mail to our long term funders and possible supported of our programs
4. Getting the community involved to raise awareness and know our location and what we provide to residents
5. Use our social media platforms to circulate our information and campaign
The functionality of our bikes will be reliant on human pedal power and will provide novel and fun workouts for participants. The ice cream maker attachment for the Fender Blender will require a full 20 minutes of pedaling to create delicious fruit sorbet! The Charging Station, too, will yield the best results in correlation to the amount of effort expended. Because both of the bikes will produce tangible results apart from the health benefit to the rider, the exercise will become a means to an end and will be more fun and rewarding than pedaling a plain exercise bike would be. There’s also the component of peer support. In our experience of the Fender Blender thus far, we’ve found that the riders draw large cheering sections! The rider then has the satisfaction of sharing their smoothie creation with an appreciative audience. We envision the sorbet output to be an even greater crowd pleaser. Additionally, the sorbet will introduce participants to a healthier “treat” option. The Charging Station will complement the Fender Blender and allow more than one participant to be “head-lined” at a time, making for a nurturing, excitement filled experience for all! The Charging Station bike will be green and will “glow” green when charging devices, helping us to drive home our commitment to a greener world.
