MAPLE GROVE, Minn., Nov. 1, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TopLine Financial Credit Uniona member based in the Twin Cities financial services cooperative, hosted a bike drive with all donations benefiting Keystone Community Services’ youth social enterprise program, Express Bike Shop. TopLine members, employees and community members dropped off their bikes and bike parts to help local youth. As importantly, TopLine collected a total of 186 bikes.
Bicycle donations support Express bike shop which specializes in refurbished bicycles and is also a youth employment program under the non-profit umbrella of Keystone Community Services. The bike shop thrives largely on the generosity of donors. Bicycle donations are needed to provide inventory for youth to restock and sell, and support the 200-hour apprenticeship program that gives youth real-world entrepreneurial experience running a bike shop.
Keystone Youth Apprenticeship Program, is a youth-oriented social enterprise, which serves as a learning laboratory for young people entering the workplace, with all revenues reinvested in the program. This youth development and entrepreneurship training program teaches young people real-world job skills and provides job opportunities as paid apprentices.
Youth participating in the program gain valuable “first job” experience that emphasizes job readiness skills and an entrepreneurial spirit in a fun, engaging, team-based format. The multi-session curriculum consists of mini-lessons, group challenges and off-site field studies to reinforce concepts. Each apprentice is required to work over 200 hours and at the end of the program becomes certified in bicycle repair and small business skills.
“We are grateful for all of our generous bike donors who dropped off their unused bikes to support the local St. Paul community nonprofit’s youth employment program,” says Mick Olson, President and CEO of TopLine. “It’s great to see these bike donations helping teens and young adults develop critical job readiness skills to prepare them for their futures, as 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the bikes are reinvested in the youth apprenticeship program.”
“On behalf of Keystone Community Services and Express Bike Shop, I thank all TopLine members who donated bikes and in turn supported our youth employment programs! We are very grateful for TopLine’s partnership in hosting such a successful bike riding event that provides youth career preparation opportunities and work experience,” says Adero Riser Cobb, president of Keystone Community Services.
Express bike shop is a full service bicycle shop specializing in refurbished bicycles, repairs and new and used components. The bike shop, located at 1158 Selby Ave in St. Paul, accepts bicycle donations of all kinds and uses these donations to train youth on how to repair and restore bicycles for sale. In addition, young people gain valuable experience operating a small business, such as the day-to-day responsibilities of the shop, including customer service, bank deposit preparation, ordering and stocking. items in the sales area, such as completing a Bicycle Repair Certification. Since 1995, more than 400 young people have successfully completed a paid apprenticeship at Express Bike Shop. Visit www.exbike.com to learn more.
TopLine Financial Credit Uniona credit union based in the Twin Cities, is Minnesota’s 11thth largest credit union, with assets of more than $794 million and serving more than 50,000 members. Established in 1935, the non-profit financial cooperative offers a full line of financial services from its five. branch locations – in Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Maple Grove, Plymouth and in St. Paul’s Como Park – and also by phone, mobile app and online at www.TopLinecu.com. Membership is available to anyone who lives, works, visits, attends school or volunteers in Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Washington and Wright Counties in Minnesota and their members of the immediate family. TopLine has been recognized as a National standard superior workplace for the 6 of 7 years and was called Twin Cities Business 2023 Best of Business Reader’s Choice Poll finalist in two categories: Credit Union and Mortgage Lender. Visit us on our Facebook gold Instagram. To learn more about the credit union foundationvisit www.TopLinecu.com/Foundation.
CONTACT:
Vicki Roscoe Erickson
Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer
TopLine Financial Credit Union
verckson@toplinecu.com | 763.391.0872
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d3a9e33c-be4a-4eda-b3c5-b54c3190a802
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