Thanks to the Ernst & Young Youth Scholarship program, we were able to award $1,000 to Recapture Bikes and Kayleb Carr of Blanding, Utah. Southeastern Utah, in the Four Corners area, is one of the most impoverished areas in the nation and the kids from that area face many economic struggles not seen in other areas.
Kayleb is a very ambitious 16-year-old who was willing and anxious to get some free bike mechanic training from the owner of a bike shop in Provo, Utah. Mike Taylor, of Taylor's Bike Shop, put Kayleb through two weeks of intensive mechanic training after which Kayleb turned around and trained six other youth from Blanding to work with him in this new business venture, Recapture Bikes. Taylor sends used and old bikes to Blanding where Carr and his buddies refurbish the bikes and sell them directly to members of the community. They're also working on the concept of renting out bikes to tourists who visit the area. You can read more about Kayleb and Recapture Bikes at http://youthelevated.com/
Kayleb and his team were thrilled with the grant and are using it to purchase tools for bike repair, banners and other marketing materials, as well as to help them maintain and run the truck they purchased for their mobile service.
