Cycling and diversity: The larger context by John Bennett was originally published in Connect Savannah on May 29, 2019.

IF YOU want to encourage and empower people to become more physically active and improve the health of entire neighborhoods, Armand Turner is your man.

“You really have to figure out what people enjoy doing already and then give them the opportunity and tools to do it more consistently,” he said.

It’s an approach he first learned as a summer camp counselor in Indiana and later working as the head of the recreation and intramural sports department of Albany State University.

Today Turner is managing the physical activity component of a $3.4 million Centers for Disease Control grant awarded to Healthy Savannah through the YMCA of Coastal Georgia. The funding from the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity is aimed at reducing health disparities among racial and ethnic populations with the highest burden of chronic disease using culturally tailored interventions to address preventable risk behaviors. Savannah is one of 31 communities nationwide to receive a Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health grant.

Healthy Savannah will use the funding to reduce health disparities among African American and Hispanic/Latino Americans in low income areas of Chatham County by improving access to healthy food and opportunities for physical activity, and creating more effective links between people in need and the clinical service providers and organizations that can help.

Turner sees the REACH grant fitting into a larger context.

“It seems as if a lot of things are lining up for Savannah to be one of the healthiest cities in the South, between the coalition of health organizations looking to deconstruct old habits of unhealthy living to opportunities to make healthier choices easier for citizens through the new zoning ordinance. Savannah has the chance to flip the switch and it’s sitting right in front of us,” he said.

In order to flip that switch, especially when it comes to encouraging physical activity, barriers must be overcome.

“In the hierarchy of ‘reasons not to do anything,’ personal safety will always be at the top,” he said. “No one wants to ride a bike if they think they’re more likely to get in an accident, than to get where they’re going.”

Turner said improving safety is key to encouraging people to bike and walk for recreation and transportation.

Read the full article in Connect Savannah.

Improving literacy, teaching children about healthy food, enhancing bike safety, sponsoring summer camps, providing food and shelter for the needy, tree planting and care, Forsyth Park preservation, youth conflict resolution, and counseling for women who have experienced trauma. These are just some of the activities that the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) will support with its 2019 Community Partner Grant Program.

DNA’s Board of Directors recently announced the recipients of this year’s grants. They are:

Bike Walk Savannah $1,500

Deep Center $3,000

Emmaus House Soup Kitchen $1,000

Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home Foundation $1,500

Forsyth Farmer’s Market, $1,000

Frank Callen Boys & Girls Clubs $5,000

Friends of Massie $500

Heads Up Guidance Services $1,000

Inner City Shelter $1,000

League of Women Voters of Coastal Georgia $1,000

Loop It up Savannah $1,500

Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire $2,000

Savannah Association for the Blind $500

Savannah Children’s Choir $2,000

Savannah Tree Foundation $1,000

Thomas Park Food Pantry $1,000

Trustees Garden Club $5,000

Urban Hope, Inc. $5,000

WRUU-LP $500

Each year, the DNA bestows grants to community organizations that have an impact on the greater downtown area, particularly those that help or enrich the residential quality of life. Each recipient goes through an application process and before the DNA Board of Directors for selection.

“Our mission is to enhance the quality of life in the Historic Landmark District, protect Savannah’s unique downtown environment, and advocate public policies which support these objectives,” said Melinda Allen, president of the DNA. “With that in mind, our grant programs are geared to protecting the Landmark District’s architectural heritage and encouraging restoration & beautification. We also support local organizations that enhance the community through aid to Savannah’s citizens, education, safety, music, and youth development. We’re very proud of supporting these organizations and the outstanding work they do for the community.”

The funds for the grants are raised each year through the DNA’s Holiday Tour of Homes and Inns. Members and supporters of the DNA open their homes and inns for visitors to tour and learn about architecture, home décor, and the history and culture of the South. Close to a hundred volunteers supported the day-long event held last December. The DNA sold more than 800 tickets and raised $45,000 from the event. With two-thirds going to grants, the additional $10,000 will support community initiatives that address livability issues for downtown residents.

Bike Walk Savannah was formed in 2008 as the Savannah Bicycle Campaign. At the time our mission was to make Savannah better for bicycling — because bicycles make Savannah better. We did this through advocating for better facilities and enforcement, and encouraging, educating and empowering residents and visitors to make bicycling a healthy, enjoyable, useful part of their daily lives.

But we never have been just about bikes. In 2018 we changed our name and mission to reflect our successful advocacy efforts and progress toward streets that are safe for all road users — no matter their mode of transportation — and safer, more equitable transportation options.

We advocate for safer streets at all levels of government, including city, state and federal. We host community bike rides, and provide Bike Valet at a variety of events to encourage bicycle riders to explore our community. We empower area residents and community advocates with our education programs. We provide hundreds of bicycles to members of our community who need reliable, affordable transportation through our New Standard Cycles Program. We work with neighborhoods to find opportunities for improvement and address conditions that will increase neighborhood safety. And we are working with community partners on a city-wide urban trail system that will be ideal for runners, walkers, and cyclists — while also connecting neighborhoods and serving as a safe route for bike commuters.

2019 is just the start of our future. We want to expand our programming and advocacy campaigns. We want to increase our membership and revenue to build a sustainable organization. We want to create a Savannah that is safer, accessible, and connected for all road users. And we need your expertise and support to do so.

Are you someone who wants to help create safe streets in Savannah, and promote biking and walking as a viable and essential means of transportation and recreation? Are you interested in being part of our fundraising and development strategy? Do you have experience with community engagement, fundraising, or political strategy?

If any of these boxes are checked off for you, we invite you to apply to join our board of directors. Our all-volunteer board is comprised of community members who support our vision of a connected, safe and vibrant Savannah, with welcoming places to bike and walk.

Click here to learn more about the commitment details for the 5 available board positions. To apply for a position, please submit your resume and an intro letter to info@bikewalksavannah.org.

Thanks to you we were able to surpass our year-end goal and raise $13,725 to support our advocacy efforts in 2019. And we’ve already gotten to work!

For many, it’s not a surprise that Savannah has lagged behind in direct support for better (and safer) mobility options. It can be discouraging when you think about the more than 70 percent of streets in Savannah that do not have sidewalks or our woefully insufficient bicycle network that is especially shameful in a city where bikes are the main mode of transportation for so many people.

But there’s hope for 2019 — and we’re right at the table serving as your voice for a safe, connected, and accessible city for people of all ages, abilities and incomes.

• Our long bicycle infrastructure drought could be coming to a close, as the City of Savannah has signaled it’s moving forward with improvements to the Lincoln Street bike lane and the creation of a critically needed east-west bike route on Liberty and Wheaton streets.
• Later this month Chatham Area Transit will begin a year-long, system-wide redesign of its fixed-route bus network led by Jarrett Walker + Associates. We’re hopeful that this redesign will not only improve conditions for current public transit riders, but encourage more people to make this essential mode of transportation a part of their daily lives. See you at the Open House on Jan. 15!
• A group that includes some of the smartest and civically minded people in town has been working on an initiative that will connect neighborhoods, decrease rates of chronic disease, reduce traffic crashes, allow people to travel to work safely and with dignity, and improve quality of life in Savannah from the Southside to River Street. More information to come in the next few months!

That’s not all we’re working on — but I’d love to hear from you. Is there a project that is near and dear to your heart? A critical component of the street network that you would like an update on? A neighborhood that would like to partner on its own mobility study? Send me a message at caila@bicyclecampaign.org and let’s get rollin’.

Finally, please consider becoming a member of Bike Walk Savannah. With your help, we will make Savannah a place for all people, no matter their mode of transportation!

Thank you for your support, and I look forward to working with you in 2019.

Caila Brown
Board Chair, Bike Walk Savannah

P.S. As a thank you, those who donated during our end-of-year campaign will be receiving an Individual Membership for Bike Walk Savannah. Please contact info@bicyclecampaign.org with any questions.

We all remember that bike we received as a holiday present.

Whether it was brand new or a hand-me-down — it was now yours. It meant so many things when you saw it for the first time and pulled off that bow. Freedom. Independence. Fun.

Thanks to you, we were able to provide that experience to more than 50 children in our community this holiday season. Our friends at Blessings in a Bookbag identified the deserving recipients and The Justice for Children Foundation made sure that each kid rode away with a properly fitted helmet. And our New Standard Cycles elves lovingly refurbished each bike that was donated by you, our most stalwart supporters.

But our New Standard Cycles crew does so much more. Throughout the year they volunteer countless hours to make sure that members of our community receive the transportation they need to get to work, to school, to stay in treatment, and to enrich their lives in so many other ways. They work with more than 20 organizations, like Union Mission, Emmaus House, Social Apostolate of Savannah, and Lutheran Services of Georgia to identify individuals for whom a bike would be a life-changing addition. And our program manager, Henry, makes sure that members of our community are able to repair their bikes so they can keep the wheels rollin’.

In 2018 we were able to provide more than 110 bikes to deserving recipients in Chatham County. We need your support to provide even more in 2019!

It only takes a few minutes to make a tax-deductible donation on our website. If you’d like to set up a recurring monthly donation, just let us know. And if you have a bicycle that you’d like to donate to New Standard Cycles, we welcome your support.

I am glad you are part of our people-powered movement!

Caila D. Brown
Board Chair

P.S. One of our volunteers, Patrick MacDonald, was recently struck by a vehicle on his daily commute, resulting in very serious injuries. A fundraiser has been started to support his recovery and medical bills. Please consider supporting the fundraiser, and keep him in your thoughts!