For this third round of face masks, I wanted to keep the energy on a local and immediate cause. In a time where we lack proper leadership on a government level, it’s imperative we uplift and support our true heroes, the local leaders. After coming upon John Jones III and East Side Riders Bike Club through Kacie Anderson and researching his organization and commitment, it was an easy choice.
First, if you don’t follow @kaciebabie, I would suggest you change that. The internet can be a gift and a curse and in this case, it’s the former. Among other things Kacie is an activist and in my opinion the definition of a true community leader—I swear this girl has a battery pack. She is always somewhere doing something that benefits someone. Any day I’ve felt blah about the state of the world, seeing her endurance encourages me to keep it pushing.
East Side Riders Bike Club out of Watts has been around for over 10 years and was founded with the goal to encourage kids in the community to get involved in cycling as a way to steer them in the right direction. After following them for only two months now I was witness to their 38,000th breakfasts served. Thirty eight thousand. I watch them prepare and provide breakfast almost every morning as well as distribute fruit, produce, hand sanitizer, masks, and essentials weekly. Watching ESRBC and Kacie continue to serve the community from early in the pandemic through now has been eye-opening and inspiring to say the least.
A quote from a post in the LA SENTINEL, “Members of the East Side Riders Bike Club said one part of their mission is to provide opportunities to vulnerable kids in South Los Angeles by steering them in a new direction.”
With our current situation, I believe heavy focus should be on educating and guiding our youth as they’re the ones to whom we’ll be passing the torch. ESRBC’s mission to improve the mindset, and ultimately the quality of life, of kids in their community will help them build the right mental foundation to become strong leaders within their own generation. Hats off to John, Kacie, and everyone involved on the daily—we need more people like you.
For more info on the East Side Riders Bike Club including their feature on HuffPo, click here. If you’re down but leopard isn’t your color, click here to donate directly.
Click here to follow @eastsideriders and @kaciebabie.