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Olympic Peninsula Chapter Activities

Schools Benefit
from Bluebill Mentors

Students at Port Townsend High School have been conducting science and engineering experiments in the homeroom of physics teacher John Van Auken, a club sponsored by the Bluebills.

The Bluebills obtain grants, sometimes from Boeing, to pay for club materials and kits from Future Science and Engineers of America (FSEA). FSEA is a non-profit organization that provides lesson plans, project material, documentation and awards for school technology clubs.

Left, Bluebills mentor volunteer Bert Goldstein works with students.

Olympic Peninsula Bluebills Repair Lost Bikes
In Multi-Agency Program

Summer-2003 Bluebills in the Olympic Peninsula Chapter are turning some of their precious energy into repairing lost or abandoned bicycles, which will be donated to needy children at Christmas time and to clients of OLYCAP, Olympic Area Community Action Program.

The number of unlicensed and unclaimed bikes grows throughout the year because lost or abandoned bikes are declared surplus property after 60 days. The Port Townsend police needed a practical way to avoid sending them to the dump. They asked Bob Peden, manager of the Jefferson County United Good Neighbors, to help devise a plan to get the bikes into the hands of people who need them. Bob, also a member of the Bluebills, immediately thought this would be an ideal job for his friends.

Bluebills took the first batch of 35 bikes in for repair. Soon there were another 30 bikes awaiting attention. The condition of the bikes range from unusable to needing little repair. The plan calls for the Bluebills to work with Scott Jaster, owner of Williwaw Bicycle Repair Shop. Bluebills do most of the repair work but Scott does the more difficult repairs and the final inspections to ensure that the bikes are safe and road-worthy.

It's a real community involvement project. The police provide the bikes, UGN contacts the Bluebills and will contribute bicycle helmets, Bluebills and Williwaw Bicycle Repair Shop do the repairs, Catholic Community Services provides funds for parts and services, and OLYCAP provides temporary storage for the bikes. OLYCAP will also be responsible for identifying new owners and distributing the bikes.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s office is also holding a number of bicycles that may be added to the project. A story and photo featuring the project ran in a June 2003 issue of the Port Townsend Leader.
The House Isn't For Sale
Lydia and Oliver Hickle got a new ramp for his wheel chair, courtesy of OlyPen Bluebills recently. Here's the story, reported by Jack Randall.

"As a Bluebill food bank project, I've been delivering frozen meals to Lydia and Oliver for several months. Oliver, 85, is not well and on several occasions, Lydia asked me to come in and say hi to him. When I learned that Bluebills were going to build a ramp for his wheel chair, I wanted to be a part of the project. I asked them for permission to let the Bremerton Sun know about the project and they were delighted to find that their picture made it into the paper.
"For some time, they have had their Port Ludlow place on the market to sell, and Oliver mentioned that he thought the price might be increased due to the addition of the new ramp. The last time I delivered food to them, the sign was gone. I asked Lydia about it. She said they had decided not to sell. Although their church and their medical support are in Bremerton, they have decided to stay in their home. 'This is family,' she explained, and she was including Bluebills as part of it."
Left to right (Above): The Bluebills work party included Mike Graham, Ken Winter, Howard Schaible, Lydia Hickle and their daughter, Oliver Hickle and Jack Randall. (Larry Elton also was part of the work party, but is not shown.)

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date of this page version: 29 September 2003