Meet Myona & Ethan
Dear friend,
Myona and Ethan beam with pride when showing a video of their grandfather riding a bike. Not only did their grandfather recover from a massive stroke, but he’s now riding a bike that Myona and Ethan fixed for him at Phoenix Bikes. The siblings happily agree that repairing his bike has been one of their favorite parts so far about learning at Phoenix. By supporting Phoenix Bikes, you can help more students gain valuable mechanics skills and confidence so they can give back to others!
At only 11 and 13 years old, Myona and Ethan already had plenty of good memories surrounding bikes when they first stepped through Phoenix’s doors last fall. They had recently relocated from St. Petersburg, Florida where their family had taken breaks from the isolation of COVID-19 by regularly exploring the bike trail near their house together and pedaling out to a pier to enjoy views of the ocean.
They loved riding, but they hadn’t been able to bring their bikes with them to Arlington. After their move, they discovered Phoenix Bikes while they were out running errands and signed up for our Earn-a-Bike program on the spot! As homeschool students, their flexible schedules let them come into the shop during morning hours, giving them individualized attention with our full-time youth instructors, Leslie and Jas. In between learning how to patch flat tires, replace brakes, and true wheels, they enjoyed swapping funny biking stories with Leslie and learning Filipino cooking tips from Jas.
Those interactions left a lasting impression. When asked to describe Leslie and Jas, Myona’s face lights up and she immediately says, “Oh, they’re cool people!”
But we think Myona and Ethan are the cool ones! They have a fun bond as siblings and are always willing to help each other in the shop. They demonstrate curiosity and confidence beyond their years—as Leslie says always “being willing to dive into tasks that challenge them without hesitation.” And they are creative. When it came time to fix up bikes to keep for themselves, both students invested extra time in personalizing their rides: Myona with a fun basket and a rear rack she spray-painted herself and Ethan with a cool LED rechargeable light he discovered among the used parts bins of the shop.
But beyond everything else, this fun duo has impressed us most with their eagerness to give back. When asked what he likes most about learning at Phoenix, Ethan smiles and says “using my skills to help other people.” And that about sums up both kids.
As soon as they had earned their own bikes, this dynamic duo was inspired to fix their grandfather’s bike. After his stroke five years ago, his family had been working hard to help him relearn how to walk and drive. Their grandfather was adamant that no one take his bike because he was determined to also ride again someday.
Together, Myona and Ethan decided it would be the perfect surprise to clean up his old bike. They knew that riding would be a form of therapy to help him improve his balance and fine motor skills. They spent three days together at the Phoenix shop, replacing the brakes, adjusting the derailleurs, and even adding a front headlight as a special surprise.
When they presented the bike to their grandfather, he eagerly tried it out with the help of Myona and Ethan’s dad, and did surprisingly well! While he was proud of getting back on his bike, he was even prouder that his grandchildren were the ones who fixed it up.
Ethan and Myona have continued giving back. Not only did they go on to fix bikes for their seven-year-old sister and mom, but they also attended our recent Bikes & Bow Ties event to share their story at our VIP reception. Although it might have been slightly intimidating to speak in front of a crowd, Ethan says: “It felt good because I know sharing my story will help others do what I did.”
What’s next for these two? Hopefully lots of biking. Ethan (far right), Myona (middle) and their dad (far left) recently joined one of our Saturday group rides—to conquer some hills and get smoothies with us! We look forward to hopefully riding more with them this summer.
And, not surprisingly, Myona and Ethan have an ambitious plan to spend their summer break using their newfound skills to help friends, neighbors and fellow church members get their bikes back in action.
This summer, we want more students like Ethan and Myona to experience all of the fun of learning and giving back through our shop programs. And we need your help!
The next few months will be packed to the brim with three weeks of mechanics camps, the launch of our new-and-improved Advanced Mechanics class, two overnight bike-camping trips, and over 20 rides and races. Would you consider a gift to help make all of that, and more, possible?
Sincerely,
Emily Gage
Executive Director
P.S. Join HUB Club to keep the wheels of our organization rolling all year long by setting up a recurring donation with us when you choose the “Monthly” tab on our donation form.