It’s been two years since Recycle Bicycle Shop opened up, offering complete repair service, bike tune-ups and overhauls. But the shop, which has been adopted by the Friendship Service Center, also provides students with an after-school program designed to help them understand how to repair bicycles, as well as homework support and tutoring.

The back room doubles as a tutoring help center and an office. A new addition to the program this year has been the nutritional education program, in which a registered nurse helps students make nutritious decisions when choosing foods.

Cliff Parker, program director, discovered many children purchasing unhealthy snacks and drinks after school and decided that the nutritional component would be an enhancement. "The kids save cans and see the money add up to immediate value and then we take the kids shopping to learn how to shop and look at the nutritious value in the food. We teach them how to comparative shop and look at labels on packaging," Parker said.

"Because so many of them were buying candies and unhealthy drinks, we felt the need to give them exposure to balanced diets and show them the alternative.

Bryant Mendez, a New Britain High School senior, has been in the program for three years. He tutors and mentors the younger children who enter the program. Mendez said that he joined because he had nothing to do after school. "I always used to get in trouble and one of my friends told me about the program," Mendez said. "To me it’s fun. I like to race my bike and I like fixing bikes. It’s a hobby for me; I’ve always liked bikes."

The program has several major components. Included is the recycle bicycle clinic, which provides part-time employment for youth throughout the year. The "earn-a-tool" program provides technical training and job readiness instruction. The BMX team, composed of youth 8 to 18 years old, races at BMX tracks throughout the state. The BMX club provides bikes and equipment and introduces youth to the BMX riding experience. And the "earn-a-bike" program allows them the chance to acquire bikes of their own.

Parker believes the program is valuable for the youth because of the opportunities that are created.

"We’re not just a retail store; we have youth employment opportunities where they can work after they finish with the program. We have after-school assistance, where we let the children help each other with their homework and provide mentoring opportunities for the older youth," Parker said. "The most valuable thing I believe these youngsters are getting is the opportunity for success. There are those who have not had the opportunity for success can get relevant experience to help them be successful."

According to Parker, the program follows superintendent of schools’ Doris Kurtz’s view on rigor and relevance. "She said learning is a succession of systematic failures until you reach success."

Stacy Hall has been volunteering at the center for six years, and says it’s something that he does because "it’s what I do." Hall said, "I’ve been working on bikes for 40 years now and I got a lot to offer these kids. I help keep them out of trouble. If they don’t show up, I call their home, because there are some who don’t know how valuable this could be for them."

Six years ago, Recycle Bicycle Shop started the New Britain BMX Club, a bike club supported by grants and staffed by parents and police officers.Funding has allowed the program sessions to increase and given participants the opportunity to work to earn their own bicycle kits. And planning and fund raising are under way for the construction of a world-class BMX track.

The Recycle Bicycle Shop is located at 85 Arch St. For more information on donating bicycles or the program, call (869) 826-5511.

Franchone Fraser-Ben Reuben Bey can be reached at ffraser@newbritainherald.com or by calling (860) 225-4601, Ext. 306.