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Volunteers need at the Bike Stations at the Republican National Convention (RNC)
Monday, September 1 - Thursday, September 4.
Humana's Freewheelin' bike-sharing program and the non-profit Bikes Belong are providing 1000 bicycles for both the RNC and DNC for people to use during the event. No matter what side of the political aisle you sit on, this is a fantastic (Bike Partician) opportunity to help policy makers from around the country see and experience the benefits of bicycling.
Volunteer bicyclists are needed to help attendees and delegates choose a bike that fits, provide directions and route suggestions, assist with helmet fitting and to lead bike tours.
There will be six bike stations in Minneapolis and Saint Paul; 200 volunteers are needed to coordinate this effort! The bike stations will be open from 7am to 7pm daily.Volunteers will receive food, beverages and a Freewheelin' t-shirt.
Please contact Lisa Austin, laustin@visi.com, 651-755-0680 if you are able to sign up for a shift and help.
For more information see:
Register online: click here
Also, here is a press release:
-(From the Business Wire)--
Nationwide Program to Support Personal and Environmental Health, This Effort Kicks Off With 1,000-Bike Donation For Both Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
Humana Inc. announced that it is implementing - or better yet, pedaling - a new national initiative that capitalizes on an emerging global municipal trend promising to improve the health of residents and the environment. The program, which will debut in
major U.S. cities, corporations and universities, is as simple as riding a bike.Freewheelin, Humana's new bike-sharing program with the not-for-profit organization Bikes Belong, is a nationwide effort to supply individuals with easy and free access to bicycles, providing them with an environmentally friendly alternative to automobiles,
while at the same time encouraging them to take steps to keep physically fit."As a health benefits company, we are honored to have a role in introducing Americans to bike- sharing, a concept which has long been popular overseas and has proven that individuals can easily integrate healthy living and environmental conservation into their lives," said Jonathon Lord, M.D., Humana's chief innovation officer. "The potential for this program is tremendous, as it provides answers to some of the most difficult public health problems facing our nation - how to improve personal and environmental health while at the same time reducing costs. In addition to helping your health and the environment, bike sharing can help your wallet as well, especially in a time of rising gas prices."
Freewheelin Kick Off
Comes on the heels of recent announcements in Minneapolis/St. Paul and Denver that these cities will be among the first in the country to implement the Freewheelin program.To celebrate the launch of this multi-pronged initiative, Humana and Bikes Belong will bring nearly 1,000 bikes to Denver during the Democratic National Convention in August, and to the Twin Cities during the Republican National Convention in September. The bikes can be used free of charge by anyone looking for an alternative to automobiles while the convention is in town.
The Twin Cities and Denver join a small group of progressive cities establishing bike-sharing programs in the United States. Seventy of the 1,000 bikes and the check out kiosks will remain after each convention and donated to both Minneapolis/St. Paul and Denver by Humana, as part of an ongoing program to support carbon emission
reduction and healthy active lifestyles. The program will also establish a lasting legacy and a start to a permanent bike sharing system in these cities.Building a Legacy
The legacy program will feature Freewheelin bike racks set up at various points around the cities, each housing a collection of the program's proprietary bikes, which are equipped with trip computers. A solar powered kiosk, through which participants can "check out" a bike to use for things such as riding to work or doing errands, or simply taking a leisurely spin, will accompany each bike rack.Once users are finished, they simply return the bike to any Freewheelin rack in their respective city. Participants can register for the program on the Freewheelin website, and use the site to automatically track their mileage, their personal carbon offset and
other health information. Riders simply use a credit card or a Freewheelin key fob to check the bike out at no charge during the conventions.Humana piloted the Freewheelin program in Louisville, Ky., in 2008 by installing Freewheelin bikes and racks for use by employees free of charge. More than 2,500 employees registered for the program. Based on the success of the pilot, Humana is expanding the program to other cities, as well as college and corporate campuses across the country.
Bike-sharing is a popular alternative used in various European cities including Paris and Amsterdam to encourage "green" and congestion-free transportation.
"This is an exceptional opportunity to show how well bicycling works for short trips in big cities," said Tim Blumenthal, Executive Director of Bikes Belong. "Considering that 41 percent of all trips in automobiles are two miles or less, bikes are an ideal alternative."
About Humana
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the nation's largest publicly traded health and supplemental benefits companies, with approximately 11.4 million medical members. Humana is a full-service benefits solutions company, offering a wide array of health and supplementary benefit plans for employer groups, government programs and individuals.
