Going ‘Anywhere and Everywhere’

“I work hard for everything. Everything I get, everything I do, I work hard.” James works hard at the manufacturing job he loves, works hard at the gym after his shift, and works hard to prove that he’s not the same person he was when he went to prison.

James, a 2024 bike recipient, says the day-to-day impact of having a bike makes “getting around a lot easier.” 

Upon reentering the community in summer 2024, James moved to Grand Rapids, settled into transitional housing at Alternative Directions—a community-based program that serves individuals on parole or probation—and secured a job. He even received a bike from a friend so he could get where he needed to. Everything seemed to be going well, until James was hit by a car while riding; the bike was broken beyond repair, his foot and ankle were injured, and he was forced to take some time off work.

His priority was replacing the transportation tool he relied on; James reached out to a resource navigator he met through Alternative Directions to ask for help finding a new bike.

Partnering with Alternative Directions, Upcycle Bikes provided James a bike at no cost, preventing further interruption to the life he was trying to build. “I've rode it probably hundreds of miles already,” James says of his new bike that he uses to get “anywhere and everywhere”—the grocery store, work, the gym, the parole office, and around Grand Rapids to learn more about his new home. 

“I'm trying to do my best, I want people to see me for who I am now,” James says. He is committed to continued hard work, is beginning to dream about the future, and is quick to express gratitude for the individuals and resources supporting him.

“If there's any way that I can give back to Upcycle Bikes, I would do it.” 

“If there's any way that I can give back to Upcycle Bikes, I would do it.”