Bike Works raised a bakfiets-full of kroner at their sold-out annual benefit auction over the weekend. The youth-empowerment organization raised a whopping $116,000 at the auction, plus an additional $6,000 in matching donations.

Meghan Pinch (@megbikes on Twitter) volunteered at the event and wrote about the experience on her blog:

This was my second year “auction spotting” and it was a total gas.  I got to spend the evening encouraging wealthy attendees to spend money supporting Bike Works while also helping them score some amazing auction packages.  I honestly can’t think of a sales position I’m more suited to!  Some of the live auction items really appealed to my inner farm girl… there was a custom chicken coop (including a chicken consulting from my homies at Seattle Urban Farm Company!); a huge food lover’s cornucopia which included organic meat, a Columbia City breadshare and a Nash’s organic produce subscription; and a swanky tour of the new Wild Horse Wind Farm east of the mountains complete with a posh stay at Suncadia.  I also dreamed about bidding on Goldmyer Hot Springs backcountry pampering package, which included lessons in backcountry cooking, storytelling, and poetry.  Ahhh.  What a fabulous trip that would be.

---

— Advertisement —

---

Her favorite auction item was this incredible brake lever doorbell:

Congratulations, Bike Works, for a successful auction. Bike Works is a fantastic organization doing tons of good in Columbia City. It’s hard to put a price on the value of empowering youth, particularly youth from low-income families, with bike riding and repair skills.

Bikes combat so many chronic social problems. The cost of owning and operating a car is disproportionately burdensome for low-income families and teens. Meanwhile, low-income teens are many times more likely to be obese than their affluent peers. Bikes can be powerful tools of equality. Thanks for supporting the folks at Bike Works who make these tools accessible and fun.