A scrappy nonprofit that has provided bikes to thousands of homeless people, young children and others in need across the metro area is ready to open its doors in Denver.
Second Chance Bicycle Shop was founded in 2006 by retired police officer Ernie Clark, who kept the wheels on with a small team of volunteers, fixing up bikes and distributing them for free until his death in 2022.
The shop rotated through several locations in Aurora during Clark’s lifetime before moving to a storefront in Centennial when his daughter, Betty, stepped in to continue her father’s legacy.
Their new warehouse location in Denver’s Clayton neighborhood is Second Chance’s first foray in the Mile High City. Betty Clark said it’s unclear whether the nonprofit will be able to pay rent on two spots at once or relocate all of its operations from Centennial to Denver, but for now, they’re eager to expand their reach and work more closely with groups like the Denver Rescue Mission, where they’ve already donated dozens of bikes.
“We’re all working together to help people,” she said. “It’s been worth it, but (it) definitely hasn’t been easy. I don’t know how my dad did it. I wish I could pick his brain. But we’re getting there.”
Second Chance is renting one corner of the Mile High WorkShop warehouse at 3795 E. 38th Ave., including an office, workspace and outdoor storage. Other tenants include nonprofits such as Teach by Tech and the Denver Dream Center as well as for-profit operations like Esperanza Productions that employ Denver residents exiting homelessness and prison.
The unique, collaborative atmosphere of the warehouse means some of the clients who come to Mile High WorkShop for job training have joined Second Chance volunteers to learn how to repair bicycles and, hopefully, parlay those skills into steady employment.
“It’s really been a win-win,” Mile High WorkShop executive director Adrienne Tafilowski said. “In workforce development, we tend to focus on the utility of a person rather than the dignity of a person, and we really want to flip that. … For people who are re-entering society, those projects are actually very stabilizing, and it’s helpful to feel you’re part of something bigger than yourself.”
By late October, donations were stacking up in Second Chance’s new space as volunteers tinkered with bike wheels and frames, prepping them for holiday events and giveaways at local schools. Members of the public will be able to stop in and drop off a bicycle or request their own beginning Dec. 3.
Cash donations made through ColoradoGives.org will also be matched by the Colorado Gives Foundation through Dec. 10.
Operations manager Bobby Hill said the nonprofit hopes to involve as many local residents as it can in its charitable work. Hill himself became involved about 12 years ago after striking up a conversation with Ernie Clark while Clark was fixing up bicycles outside of his shop in Aurora.
Hill said he’s already encouraged his neighbors to stop by and pick up bikes for their children.
“If you’re in need, that’s why we’re here. That’s what we do. That’s what Ernie wanted us to do, and that’s the way he worked this shop,” Hill said. “We’ll continue to do the right thing and continue to help people, and I think that will do the most for us.”
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