The Lebanon Valley Bicycle Coalition (LVBC) recently announced its 2023 executive board members.

Board members include Dean Auchenbach as president, Laurie Crawford as vice president, Ron Birch as treasurer, and Laurie Funk as secretary.

Lebanon Valley Bicycle Coalition board members Ron Birch, Laurie Crawford, Dean Auchenbach, and Laurie Funk at Lebanon Bicycle Recycle. (Provided photo)

LVBC, which was first formed in the 1980s under the name Lebanon Bicycle Club, is a 501(c)3 organization founded in 2008 to make the Lebanon Valley a better and safer place to bicycle. The board members plan to increase the organization’s advocacy, outreach, and education efforts in the community.

“We have advocacy in the forefront of our plans, to help protect our local and state bicyclists and their safety, but we’re also offering events and education,” said Auchenbach in a press release. “The education piece is for both our bicyclists and motorists.”

“It’s important to understand the rules of the road for everyone’s safety.”

One of the organization’s initiatives is the Lebanon Bicycle Recycle (LBR) project, which provides a space for people to recycle old bikes, learn how to fix a bike and trade in or earn a bike. The program has hosted four mechanic training sessions, trained 30 people, and provided more than 300 bikes to the community in Lebanon since its first open house in March 2022.

“People may bike to get to work or to school, for exercise or recreation, to reduce stress, or just spend time with friends,” said Birch in a press release. “Whatever the reason, we want to provide equitable access to bikes in Lebanon County.”

The most recent event hosted by LBR was a Spring Bike Giveaway on April 1, where the organization was able to provide 70 bikes to youth, ages 5-8, in Lebanon County. The next event is a Cinco de Mayo slow ride on May 5 at 6 p.m, which will depart from LBR.

“Whether you want to volunteer, earn a bike, learn something new about bikes or just begin biking (youth or adult), we have events and resources to help,” said Crawford in a press release.

Additional information about LVBC and its initiatives, as well as membership details, can be found at bikelebanon.org. Upcoming events can be found on the LBR Facebook page.

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