Mattheus Wardle chose our shelter for his Eagle Scout service project. Bikes are an important resource for our guests who don’t have cars and need to get around town to get to work, run errands, and get to appointments. After meeting with staff to identify guest needs, Mattheus proposed building a bike repair station so that guests have a way to take care of their bikes on-site & be safe on the road.

The Wardle family and Scouts from Troop 1 got together to build the station this month. Mattheus was able to get all of the materials and equipment needed thanks to some generous donations from the community.

“Through the pandemic, I have become more and more interested in cycling, so I wanted my Eagle Project to be something cycling related. I understand the need for cycling maintenance infrastructure, and after meeting with Jodi, it was clear that it was something the Sanctuary needed,” Wardle said.

“I feel that community service is more necessary now than ever. Our communities have the next greatest impact, after the family. Positivity in our communities can be a campfire in the darkness of the world. While we cannot fix the strife found across the world, we can make our communities brighter, and make it all somewhat bearable.”

On Friday, Mattheus, his mom & grandfather installed the finished bike station on our shelter’s back end, where it’s now open for use, complete with bench mounts to hold the bikes and an assortment of tools guests might need for maintenance.

Great job Mattheus & thanks for showing such kindness to our friends & neighbors experiencing homelessness.