MAPLE GROVE, Minn., May 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On May 1, 2021 TopLine Federal Credit Union hosted a bike donation drive at all branch locations with donations benefiting Keystone Community Services’ Youth Program, Express Bike Shop. TopLine members dropped off their unused bikes and bike parts to help support local youth employment. Donations ranged from a single bike to truck loads. As the day wrapped up, TopLine members donated a record breaking 310 bikes!
Keystone’s Youth Employment Program is a youth directed social enterprise, serving as a learning lab for young people entering the workplace, with all revenue reinvested back into the program. This youth development and entrepreneurial training program teaches young people real world job skills and provides employment opportunities as paid apprentices.
Youth who participate in the program gain a valuable "first job" experience that emphasizes work readiness skills and an entrepreneurial spirit in a fun, engaging and team-building 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 200-plus hours and at the end of the program becomes certified in bicycle repair and small business skills.
“TopLine members and employees generously contributed hundreds of their unwanted bikes to support a local St. Paul community’s non-profit youth employment program,” says Tom Smith, TopLine President and CEO. “We are happy to see so many individuals came out to donate their bikes to replenish the much needed inventory as bike demand has increased, and the greatest benefit is that 100% of profits are reinvested back into the youth apprenticeship program, which gives teens a comprehensive employment opportunity to develop new skills and to gain real-world work experience.”
“Thank you to all of the TopLine members who donated bikes and in turn supported our youth employment programs! Meaningful job experiences as a teen build the foundation for successful employment later in life. We are so grateful to the whole TopLine community for supporting youth in our community in this meaningful way,” says Mary McKeown, President of Keystone Community Services.
Express Bike Shop is a full-service bike shop specializing in refurbished bikes, repair and new and used components. The bike shop, located at 1158 Selby Ave in St. Paul, accepts bike donations of all kinds and uses these donations to train young people on how to fix and refurbish bikes for resale. Plus, youth gain valuable experience operating a small business, like daily shop responsibilities including assisting customers, preparing the bank deposit, and ordering and stocking items in the retail area, as well as completing a Bicycle Repair Certification. Since 1995, over 400 young people have successfully completed a paid apprenticeship at Express Bike Shop. Visit www.exbike.com to learn more.
TopLine Federal Credit Union, a Twin Cities-based credit union, is Minnesota’s 13th largest, with assets of more than $615 million and serves over 46,000 members. Established in 1935, the not-for-profit cooperative offers a complete line of financial services, as well as auto and home insurance, from its five branch locations — in Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Maple Grove, Plymouth and in St. Paul’s Como Park — as well as by phone, mobile app and online at www.TopLinecu.com. Membership is available to anyone who lives, works, worships, attends school or volunteers in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott or Washington Counties and their immediate family members. Visit us on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TopLineFederalCreditUnion. To learn more about TopLine Credit Union Foundation, visit https://www.toplinecu.com/foundation.
CONTACT:
Vicki Roscoe Erickson
Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications, TopLine Federal Credit Union
President, TopLine Credit Union Foundation
verickson@toplinecu.com
763.391.0872
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/84124ee4-a5dd-49b1-931e-50119bfcca9d