Volunteer Highlight - Abby Mars
How did you get involved with the collective?
My first experience with the Collective was several years ago when I bought an older bike off Craigslist and wanted to swap out some parts. I had no idea what I was doing with riding or working on that thing and I don't think I ended up riding it much, but the tinkering bit was the fun part anyway. Shortly after that I moved to Colorado for a little while before turning around and coming back to Salt Lake a year and a half later. Last fall, I was on sabbatical from work and looking for volunteer opportunities to help me keep busy and engage with the community now that I'm back for good, so I wandered into the Bicycle Collective during Friday morning volunteer hours. I was pretty much hooked right away because you get to work on so many different types of bikes over the course of one volunteer session, which scratches my urge to tinker without having to dismantle my own bike every week!
What do you enjoy most about the collective?
Working on Goodwill bikes has been a really fun way to become a little less clueless about riding and fixing up my own bikes, for one thing. There's nothing like dismantling an old bike to re-use the parts to help you understand how everything fits together. It's also been a great group of people to hang around with and get to know. (And the snacks during volunteer night certainly don't hurt either.)
Tell us more about how cycling has impacted your life.
I work remotely from my home, so I'm always on the lookout for excuses to get out of the house during the week, and cycling around town is a great one. Often I'll ride down to the coffee shop for a change of scenery while I work, or do a few laps around town when I'm done for the day. I had a bike as a kid that I loved to ride around the neighborhood, but I didn't ride much after I started high school. It wasn't until these last few years that I rediscovered how much I love poking around on a bicycle with no particular destination in mind. It's such a fun way to explore, especially in a city like Salt Lake where not much of town is very pedestrian-friendly.
What are some of your other hobbies?
On the same sabbatical when I started coming to the Collective, I also signed up for a piano class up at the U! Playing piano is another thing I did as a kid and lost sight of until recently, so it's been fun to flex those muscles again. Also, my wife and I have two pets (a cat and a rabbit), and taking photos of those two to put on the internet takes up a fair amount of my time!
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Abby is one of our core volunteers. It's people like her who volunteer their time and talents that keep our shop running. Thanks for all that you do, Abby!
Interested in volunteering with the Bicycle Collective? Learn more here!