"Never underestimate the ability of a few caring people to change the world, indeed that’s all that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead.

I just wanted to share this cool thing with everyone; because, well it’s cool and it involves 9 LCDC participants, and a few folks who deserve some recognition. As you probably know by now, there are 44 participants in this year’s LCDC. Did you know that 9 of them (20%) are Lee School students and parents?

On the first day of last school year, Max, Annarose and I decided to try to ride to school and home on our bikes everyday. We bought a map of the USA and charted our daily miles in hopes of making it to New York City by the end of the school year.* There were several other Lee School families who rode their bikes frequently as well. For Bike, Walk, and Wheel Week last year, I talked the families I knew who lived between our house and school into riding to school together each day that week.

During BWWW, we averaged 16 moms, dads, and kids riding to school together each day. It was so cool to look around and see all those bikes riding down the street each morning. We had parents with kids in carts and on tag-a-longs, kids on their own bikes, and parents riding along keeping an eye out for everyone. I felt sad thinking ahead to the end of the week, when everyone would go back to their regular routines of driving their kids to school. But guess what? No one did, everyone finished out the last three weeks of the school year riding together.

Sid (7) and Simon’s (11) dad, Mark, re-arranged his work schedule so that he could ride to school with his boys, because they liked it so much. Each morning, Mark would (and still does this year), leave early to go to the office, then ride back home to get the boys, ride them to school, then ride back to work for the rest of the day. That’s dedication.

The best part? When I emailed everyone at the beginning of this school year about riding together, they all wanted to do it again. We started the school year riding together. Mark is doing the same crazy morning back and forth, four days a week so he can ride with his boys. Three of the kids who were on tag-a-longs last year are on their own bikes this year. We have some new families who have joined us this year. We average 13 folks riding each day, but have had as many as 20 riding together. One morning as we arrived at school, a friend called out "Here comes the bike brigade." The name stuck.

In addition to our little westside bike brigade, there are many other students riding to school these days with their parents. The bike rack that used to empty most days is full every day with kids parking their bikes along the fence, because there isn’t enough room. Dr. Vandover, our principal, has offered to request a second rack. Each day after school, the bike rack is the place to be with kids and parents visiting while gearing up for the ride home.

Nine of this year’s LCDC participants are bike brigade members who ride to school together each morning and home together many afternoons. They are Violet (10) and Erika Kroll; Chad, Pete (6), Lily (3), and Shannon Cannfield; Max (9), Annarose (7), and me. Mark, Sid and Simon’s dad, tried to participate, but prior commitments precluded it. Jody, Jasper’s dad, is new to Lee this year and joins us each morning after dropping off his younger son at Montessori school. Jody wanted to participate, but some work commitments prohibited it. Despite not being able to participate officially, these guys ride most everywhere on their bikes with very few exceptions.

*Due to the heavy snows and extreme cold last winter, we had to drive quite a bit in Jan and Feb. We didn’t make NYC, but we did make it to Pittsburgh - 850 miles, approximately 150 short of our destination