I am a social worker for Monterey County. I work with adults with severe psychoses such as schizophrenia and I have a story to tell about the heroic people at the Cabrillo College Bike Co-op.
I have a client assigned to my caseload who recently had his bicycle stolen. To know this client you would understand the graveness of the situation. His bike was his only form of transportation and his livelihood. To say that his bike brought him extreme joy would be an understatement. An avid bike rider since he was a child, my client depended on long rides on his bike to help manage his mental health, cope with his symptoms of psychoses and decrease his depressive symptoms.
After his bike was stolen I saw a change in him that I had not observed before. He was extremely depressed and not functioning well.
With no money to buy a new bike my client’s only option was to walk, which increased his physical ailments, knee problems. Without his bike he was not only in physical pain, but he was also giving up hope.
As his assigned social worker, I began to research programs that offered bikes to low income, mentally ill adults. I contacted several places, but I only heard back from one: Cabrillo’s Bike Co-op.
Matt Halter, Biology Professor at Cabrillo College, got in touch with me and within a week, my client and I were meeting with the student and faculty members of The Bike Coop.
They not only were willing to help my client receive a bike without cost, they also allowed my client to work side by side with them in building a custom made bike, just for him.
I was very impressed and humbled by the team of students and advisors that made time to meet with my client and me. They have really established a wonderful program and a great organization.
They all made my client feel very welcomed and he was thrilled. He repeatedly expressed his gratitude for them all to be involved in his well-being and mental stability.
It is not often that one meets a group of people who believe in helping others and giving back to the community in such meaningful ways as dedicating time and resources with no expectations of return services or financial reward.
I want to publicly thank this wonderful team of volunteers by giving them the recognition they deserve: Volunteers who know what it means to care about riding a bicycle as much as my client does.
Thank you, Matt Halter and The Bike Co-op Team of Volunteers — Especially, Alex, who took the time to help my client build his bike. Visit their webpage for more information.
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Alexandra Bristow, MFTi, ATR, Psychiatric Social Worker I Monterey Co. Behavioral Health, Adult Services