Key Partner Shoutout - Kennards Hire Foundation

Last year, the Kennards Hire Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Kennards Hire, came on board as a partner and major supporter of Dismantle. It’s been a brilliant match, with both organisations working passionately to support young people doing it tough. The Kennards Hire Foundation’s mission statement sounds like it was written for Dismantle:

“The purpose of the Kennards Hire Foundation is to make Australia and New Zealand a better place for future generations by significantly improving the ability of disadvantaged young people to be independent, self-sufficient contributors to society.”

The support provided by both the business and the foundation has been varied and broad reaching. First up, they’ve been providing program subsidies for organisations in low socioeconomic areas to run BikeRescue where they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to afford. That’s 12 programs that wouldn’t have gone ahead, and up to 120 kids who wouldn’t otherwise have had a chance to participate. Additionally, they’re in the process of helping us order a bulk amount of parts and consumables, to further reduce the inherent costs involved in running BikeRescue.

Kennards Hire are also helping us out with equipment and storage. We’ve so far purchased an ex-hire ute, trailer and some other pieces of equipment from them at radically reduced prices, which have been invaluable to our operations. They’ve provided a large storage area in Malaga, where we can store our rotation of 500+ bikes. And, each quarter, Kennards Hire staff have been facilitating OHS and other induction activities at Kennards Hire Branches for each new round of ReNew Property trainees.

Dismantle is very fortunate to have been picked as a partner and beneficiary of the Kennards Hire Foundation, and we’ve been incredibly grateful for their support. We’re keen to develop a close relationship with Kennards Hire staff over the next several years, and excited to see where the partnership will go.

Deathadder100 Gravel Ride by BikeDr.

Saturday July 27 is definitely one for the calendar. BikeDr, a bike shop and partner of Dismantle’s, will be holding its inaugural one-day fundraising ride, the Death Adder 100. All profits raised will go to Dismantle to run more BikeRescue programs, while current BikeRescue participants will be heavily involved in running of the event, getting hands on with volunteering and gaining work readiness skills.

Riders of all levels are encouraged to participate and the trails have been designed for inclusion. Participants can tackle 30, 60 or 100 kilometres, on a mixture of mostly gravel, a little sand, and smattering of rocky outcrop, with a generous helping of glorious scenery to make it all worth it. The ride will take place along the iconic Munda Biddi Trail, an established and well-known mountain biking route.

Everyone will meet at 8am and the event ends when the last rider hits the finish line. It can be a race or a ride - the BikeDr and Dismantle crew will be waiting at the end regardless, with a high five and a free cold beer or soft drink provided by Nowhereman Brewing Co.

Find out more and register at www.deathadder100.com

Back In Kal For A Super Cool Program!

In April, Dismantle headed back to Kalgoorlie to deliver BikeRescue to kids from the Department of Child Protection & Family Support (DCPFS). DCPFS was established in 2007 to provide a range of child safety and support services to individuals, children and families in Western Australia. The program took place with MEEDAC (Midwest Employment & Economic Development Aboriginal Corporation).

MEEDAC was established in 1997 by the community leaders of Mullewa to provide employment and training opportunities for their people through Community Development Education Programs (CDEP). MEEDAC is a CDP provider on behalf of the Australian Government that offers a range of activities in their community projects e.g. Helping Hands, Creative Hands, Community Shed & Community Garden, to help build employable skills and give back to their community at the same time.

Pat, the CEO at Dismantle, ran BikeRescue from Monday to Friday on the last week of Term 1. Bikes were made for the participants themselves as well as for their siblings. Coincidentally, the end of the program coincides with the start of the school holidays! Armed with their new bikes, participants were able to create positive past times during the holidays.

Big thanks to the support of DCPFS, MEEDAC and Kennards Foundation for making this happen. It was a blast!

BikeRescue License in Alice Springs!

In April, Johno Montgomery, our BikeRescue License Manager, headed towards Alice Springs. There he provided the BikeRescue licensed model to the youth workers and the youths at The Gap Youth & Community Centre. BikeRescue License was developed to increase the number of people that will be able to participate in BikeRescue locally. Adult participants are trained to be ‘BikeRescue Mentors’ to deliver BikeRescue to the kids.

The Gap Youth & Community Centre have worked hard to engage the children and youths in Alice Springs to be involved with activities that help them grow and develop. Aboriginal Corporation is a community owned group who had a vision of of strengthening future generations through various forms of learning and creative opportunities.

Johno’s visit to Alice Springs lasted for 5 days and had a total participation of 5 adults and 6 kids. Johno trained the adult mentors in the morning to deliver the BikeRescue Program, and facilitated the program between the adult mentors and the kids in the afternoon. Practically the whole town was excited and enthusiastic about BikeRescue!

At the start of the week, some participants were unsure about the BikeRescue Program. However, things soon changed. They completed their bikes mid week and proudly rode around town, displaying their bikes. We can’t wait to hear more stories from our partner’s about BikeRescue’s impact on the youths at Alice Springs!

If you think BikeResuce can be beneficial to your community, let us know!