By Caroline Burlingham Ellis

On May 15, Acton’s Pedal Power joined members of the Concord-based Monsters in the Basement bicycling club to share their bike-repair expertise with young people at Lowell’s UTEC, who wanted to acquire bikes and learn to maintain them.

As Concord resident and UTEC director of Special Projects Dan Holin put it, the community event would give UTEC young people two basic things they need: “transportation and fun. Bicycles can provide both.”

UTEC is a nonprofit that helps young people from Lowell and Lawrence trade violence and poverty for social and economic success. It works to remove barriers that confront them when they want to turn their lives around and offers young people paid work experience through UTEC’s social enterprises: mattress recycling, food services and woodworking. Some of the youth need bikes to get to work on time but can’t afford one or don’t know how to do repairs when there’s a problem.

Monsters in the Basement is community bicycling with over 500 members, four different speed groups and rides departing almost daily during the riding season. The club is also completely volunteer run.

“We wanted to experiment by taking the club’s spirit of volunteerism to support a local community cause,” said Tom Farnsworth, a Monster mechanic who participated in the day. Club members donated thousands of dollars worth bikes, accessories, clothing and expertise.

Joyce Reischutz, owner of the 41-year-old, family-run Pedal Power, believes in doing community work and is helping four charities this month alone.

On Sunday, Reischutz came to Lowell with two of her master mechanics, Malen Anderson and Dan Hurley, bringing along donated and traded-in bicycles and plenty of bike parts and gear.

“I put out a call for bikes on our email list and got 20 bikes right away,” Reischutz said. “People are just generous. That’s all there is to it.”

Among the UTEC young people fixing bikes Sunday was Leeno. He first learned about UTEC from its “streetworkers.”

“They wander around places like Lowell High and talk to kids,” he said. He liked what they told him about getting training with a stipend and joined UTEC in December 2015. Within two months, he had passed the HiSET, a high school equivalency program, and earned his ServSafe Food Handler certificate. Sinlong now works in UTEC’s wood shop, helping to fill Whole Foods Market orders for chopping boards and stands that can display barbecue sauces. His goal is to be a cabinet builder.

Devlin “Sav” had his own story of change.

“Before UTEC I never talked to anyone. I was a problem child on the streets,” he said. “I was hanging around with gangs, selling drugs. I don’t do that now. I let my family know I’m ready to live life. It was hard for me to get into something good. I’ve got a lot of tattoos and a record. But I’m in the culinary program here. It’s a family. They make you feel like you are somebody that has a chance. They give me love like a family. They changed my life for the better. There are so many new things to do here. Yesterday I went kayaking.”

Marcos was also at the event, and he got a kick out of donning all the gear— helmet and biking shorts included. He said he was invited to join the nonprofit by UTEC Streetworkers who visited the jail where he had been incarcerated. “I wanted to change my life around. I’m in the woodworking program. Someday, I’d like to be an EMT,” he said.

Taina chose a bike for herself. She said she originally came to UTEC because of a streetworker. A member for eight months so far, she said, “I like everything. The people became my family. We’re so close to each other. It’s been really positive. Changed my attitude. Someday I want to be a streetworker and work with young women in jail.”

Every weekday morning at 9 a.m., “The Eye of the Tiger” is piped on the public address system in UTEC’s renovated church headquarters (a LEED Platinum-certified green building). The upbeat song calls staff and young people together to start the day.

The positive vibes are reinforced around the building. On one wall are motivational words that begin, “UTEC is a family. We assume goodness behind everyone’s actions.” A giant mural in the auditorium reads, “Trading violence for social and economic success. Peace, positivity, empowerment.” Pictured in the artwork are Lowell streets and buildings, a streetworker talking at night to worried-looking kid with a rip in his jeans. The painting also shows young people learning skills, pursuing arts and music, carrying placards and influencing policy at the statehouse—all UTEC activities.

Giving back at UTEC is rewarding for both staff and volunteers. As Holin points out, “There is a suburban-urban divide, but we are geographically so close. You can see from the people who came to help today, there’s an incredible amount of good will and expertise right next door. It’s crazy not to put them together. These young people are so motivated to improve their lives. Look at how they are showing up on a Sunday morning.”

Monster volunteer and software professional Mark Longwell, who bikes 15,000 to 16,000 miles a year, agreed that helping the kids learn about bikes is rewarding. “I grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut, I’ve seen the effects of rundown cities on youth. Having a bike is freedom to these guys. Today they are working to fix bikes, and then they get a bike. They earn it.”

At a desk near the building exit sat Michael Tucker, an AmeriCorps volunteer at UTEC who said he is usually in UTEC’s Lawrence warehouse, where the mattresses for recycling are collected.

“The kids start there. I get to see them first,” he said. He has loved his AmeriCorps service year. When it is over, he plans to return to his home state and look for someplace like UTEC. “UTEC needs to be everywhere,” he said. “But there’s nothing like it. Can you imagine? They just sent us on a weekend retreat. What other youth organization would do that?”

Getting to hear the stories of UTEC colleagues and kids was what Tucker wanted to convey about the retreat. He was so focused on the interpersonal bonding, he didn’t even mention that the getaway weekend was spent on Cape Cod.