The Power of the Pedal
To bring books and services by bicycle to people where they are.
What We Do
The Power of the Pedal creates access and opportunities using bicycles as a vehicle to provide books, community connections and education.
Our Programs
The Bookbike
The Pima County Public Library Bookbike is a three-wheeled bicycle that provides free services to the community where they are. Library staff, Bike Ambassadors and volunteers ride throughout local neighborhoods to visit people and give them free books, free reading glasses (donated by the Lions Club), bike maps and information about the library.
Our Programs
Books on Wheels
The Books on Wheels program brings library books to Tucsonans who are homebound within a 5 mile radius of the Murphy-Wilmot and Main libraries. Library customers tell us how many books they want each month and let us know their favorite authors and genres. They are matched up with volunteers who will select books and get them ready for delivery. Once a month, Bike Ambassadors swing by the library to pick up the books and provide a welcome delivery. This program brings a friendly visitor to residents who often do not have a lot of outside contact.
Our Programs
A Bookshelf of My Own
This new pilot project will bring books to tween and teens currently in the foster care system. It is a collaboration between The Power of the Pedal, Court Appointed Special Advocates(CASA) and the 4th and 4th Foundation. Volunteers will carefully select two books each month that will be delivered to the teens/tween by Bike Ambassadors. These books will belong to the young people as they start their own personal bookshelves.
Our Team
Dorothy Barth
Dorothy is an actively retired accounting and finance professional and former director of the Arizona Cross State Bicycle Ride. She volunteers with several organizations that serve the Tucson community, and is recently laced up her boots for a trip to Nepal and Pakistan.
Founder, Director of Dollars
Donna Lewandowski
Donna is a Transportation Safety Planner with Fehr & Peers. Since she never seems to know when to stop, she spends her spare time on this bike-centered non-profit.
Founder, Director of Deliverables
Founder, Director of DreamsKaren Greene
Karen is the Librarian on the Move for the Pima County Public Library. She has been running the BookBike project since 2012. Her goal is world domination by BookBike, and with over 100 BookBikes (and more on the way) that dream will one day happen.
How to help
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You can help the Bookbike by donating books, volunteering to ride along with the Bookbike or making a donation so the program can purchase more high demand materials such as books in Spanish or cookbooks.
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You can help the Books on Wheels project by becoming a selection volunteer. If you like to read books, we can match you up with someone and you will be their steady selector once every month.
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You can help by volunteering to select books each month. This project can also use donations of new/barely used books for tweens and teens. Financial donations will be used to buy more books and add additional participants.
Let’s Work Together
For general information, email info@thepowerofthepedal.org
For volunteer questionsor book donations, email Karen@thepowerofthepedal.org
For financial donations questions, email finance@thepowerofthepedal.org
Or just fill out the form below