Piece of the Pie Community Charity Spotlight with CRWU and Jerry Alcorn of the Alcorn Adaptive Bike & Mobility Shop
Jerry Alcorn of the Alcorn Adaptive
Every quarter Birba and F10 pairs up with a non-profit to bring awareness to the issues impacting our local community and the organizations that support them. Our Piece of the Pie initiative supports non-profits by donating 100% of profits after cost when Birba patrons purchase the charity pizza. The ingredients chosen for the charity pizza are handpicked by each organization with love and care. This quarter we are partnering with Jerry Alcorn of the Alcorn Adaptive and the Come Ride With Us Program.
After being paralyzed in 2014 Jerry, founded the Alcorn Adaptive, a local bike shop that specializes in the repair and construction of custom adaptive recreational equipment in Palm Springs. Jerry has since become the Chairman of Parks and Recreation for the city and has helped grow the Come Ride WIth Us (CRWU) Program at the James O Jessie Unity Center.
CRWU strives to provide extracurricular activities to kids and adults of all ages and abilities fostering communication and friendship. Jerry has spearheaded an initiative to bring bike repair education, tools, and services to the local community and is working to expand the program to offer archery lessons and the development of an all-inclusive disc golf course at the Sunrise Park. We chatted with Jerry to learn about his story and how he hopes to help shape the future of Palm Springs through accessible recreational activities and community mentorship.
F10 - Tell us about Alcorn Adaptive, its mission, and how it came to be.
JA - Alcorn Adaptive was started 9 years ago when a heavy piece of construction equipment flipped over and all I heard was RUN. A bucket of equipment slammed into my body, “luckily” instead of landing on top of me it threw me out, while flying through the air I felt my spine crushing like a tin can…that's when Alcorn Adaptive was born - I was paralyzed from the waist down. Now years later, after training my nervous system and my whole body on how to rewalk, I am among the less than 1% of paraplegic people in the world that can walk. I can't feel anything from the waist down but I have re-learned to walk after many hard years of rebuilding my muscles…” Drunken ninja” is what I have been called - you usually have to give a good amount of room around me, since I'm constantly moving to keep my balance and stay upright.
Alcorn Adaptive Logo
In 2014 the very first piece of (adaptive) recreational equipment I got onto was broken…I started repairing and providing the maintenance for the adaptive equipment for a lot of the nonprofits here in the valley, including handcycles, regular bicycles, wheelchairs, and all sorts of unique equipment. There wasn’t anyone out here doing it and there still isn’t other than me, from Los Angeles all the way down into Mexico.
F10 - What is the meaning behind the Alcorn Adaptive logo?
The Alcorn Adaptive logo (AA) was created as a nod from me to the Army Airborne - they were the first group of people that saw there was a need and said, “Hey, why don't you try working on our bikes, you have a special talent”…That was over 7 1/2 years ago and also the first year and a half of focusing on my recovery, learning to adapt to a new situation, and making life adapt to me.
F10 - What sets Alcorn Adaptive / CRWU apart from other organizations in our community?
JA - Since the start, Alcorn Adaptive has always been about giving back… I take the time to explain to people what is going on and make them feel comfortable. I truly understand their situation while also helping them gain their mobility and a sense of independence back. After stepping into the Chairman Role of Parks and Recreation for the City of Palm Springs about a year and a half ago, I dove headfirst into programs that helped out the community. One of the lead programs that stuck out to me was Come Ride With Us (CRWU) at the James O Jessie Unity Center.
CRWU had a great foundation with the people at the Unity Center. They bring a lot of the kids together but the primary issue they were facing is that the area is lower-income and the kids are lucky if they even have a bike. When they do have a bike they get used and abused, because the children are out riding them (so much). This is where I stepped in. As someone who cares and who grew up out here and who also has a bike shop, I knew I could help. I provide mobile repair services for other programs and nonprofits (in the area) and I suggested CRWU let me help with repairs. That was about a year and a half before COVID. All the repair parts and pieces come out of my own pocket. I repair the bikes from tubes to tires, all the way to a full rebuild of a bike. Last month was the first time I reached out to the community asking for assistance with materials. I made an Amazon Wishlist - all donations go right to the kids to repair their bikes and create a successful foundation for them to have extracurricular activities.
F10 - What exactly is the CRWU program and how can kids get involved?
JA - CRWU is a program based out of James O Jessie unity Center, it’s open to all kids (any age and level) and adults who want to be a part of the community and engage with each other, have friendships, and experience positive extracurricular activities. We help each other out, we build each other up, and I am out there teaching the kids how to work on their own bikes, how to work together, how to ask questions, and how to cooperate with each other.
The program is every second and fourth Friday of the month from 4 pm until 6 pm, but we're usually there until 7:30 having fun and enjoying doing different activities.
We meet in front of the Unity Center and have different activities for the kids - from bike repair to bunnyhop contests to slow ride contests. We even have our awesome Palm Springs Police Department come out and shadow us so we can take nice rides around the neighborhood while the kids are safe and blocked off from other cars… it truly is an awesome program. Everyone is welcome to come out and hang out, that's part of the message we’re conveying to everybody. We are a community, here for each other, with each other, we don't look at race, sex, or religion. We are here to help and build each other up.
“We are a community, here for each other, with each other, we don’t look at race, sex, or religion. We are here to help and build each other up.”
F10 - It is our understanding that you hope to grow the CRWU program into an organization that offers activities, mentoring, and basic life skills beyond the scope of bike riding and repair. Was there a particular event or instance that made you realize there was a need for this type of program in our community?
JA - You know the bottom line is that the lower-income areas of this city are in desperate need of help with the mentoring of the kids in these communities. Showing them basic life skills, not just repairing bikes, but communicating with each other, how to get along, how to work with different people and different thoughts and feelings, and how to cooperate with each other. It’s very apparent that CRWU was and is more than just a bike program, at my first CRWU ride I had over 50 kids come out, they all participated and everybody worked together and it was an absolute hit. When you go into the community and engage them in their own neighborhood it gives them a whole different perspective of what you're trying to do.
F10 - Did you have a mentor growing up who helped to inspire your work today?
I graduated from Palm Springs High School and was raised by a single mom who worked two jobs, no father in my life, and I really didn’t have anyone to turn to for questions. I was blessed to have an awesome high school auto shop teacher named Joe McEnany, RIP. He and I remained friends all the way up until about three years ago when he finally passed. That man made a huge impact in my life, he did not have to help out the different kids with different issues but he did, because he saw the need and the good it was doing. I went through a rough patch myself, now I always look back to the person who truly took the time to guide me and who has really helped shape my life into what it is today. All I try to do is imitate the people that I look up to and strive to be. I am just trying to show the kids an example of a good role model.
F10 - Tell us about your first experience riding adaptive equipment and what that meant to you?
JA - It's funny, before my injury 9 years ago, none of us were really big into cycling or outdoor recreational activities, sometimes it takes a life-changing experience for you to open your eyes and that's exactly what happened to me. I could've given up, stayed in a wheelchair, and become obese… but instead, I chose to fight for my recovery and fight for my daughters. They have all fully supported me and what I have become involved with including Handcycles Florida, which was the first adaptive recreational equipment I had ever used. I truly fell in love that first ride on the handcycle which was a 20 mile ride out in the Thermo Coachella area, the scenery and the beauty of getting back out and having a sense of purpose, seeing the different farms out there - the guys were popping out of the date trees Hooten and hollering at us, saying good job. It really was super impactful and eye-opening for me. That first experience turned into a full business for me and my family. We go around all of California putting on adaptive bike clinics for different nonprofits and repairing their equipment. Bicycle repair came very easy to me because prior to my injury I was a general contractor and also a certified auto mechanic welder/fabricator. I was very blessed to be good with my hands and to be able to see things mechanically and figure them out within a few seconds… it's truly been a blessing.
F10 - We hear that your three daughters help you with the programs and clinics? Are they cyclists as well?
JA - All three of my daughters participate in almost all the events and programs I have going on. They're out there helping me with repair services and teaching kids how to do these things on their bikes. It means so much more to the community that I'm not just out there by myself, I I truly do involve my family and everybody that's with me to help give back.
At the time (of my accident) my youngest daughter was 1 year old. They've grown up with me being a part of this world. My two oldest daughters and I just got back from running the Redlands Bike Classic Adaptive Bike Clinic for Loma Linda University. We had people come out (to the clinic) that have never ridden a bike before and that are stuck in a power chair. For us to get them onto a piece of equipment and have them ride for the first time - the smile and the joy that brings, no money could buy that.
F10 - How has the CRWU program impacted you personally?
JA - There is definitely a lack of resources for lower-income communities here in the desert. The kids and community members are full of love and joy, and truthfully just getting out into the community means a lot to them and me. We had an Arbor Day Celebration a few months ago for the City Of Palm Springs where we planted over 88 trees in three different parks. I was at Ruth Hardy Park planting some trees and one of the youth buses pulled up full of kids from James O Jessie and I had over 15 kids jump out saying “hey, there's the bike man, Jerry,” or “hey, there is Coach Jerry!”...They all came running over and together we planted an additional 6 trees … the love and acceptance the kids have given to me and my whole family for just being a part of their community is really a true blessing.
F10 - How has COVID impacted your organization and the people it helps?
CRWU Pizza at Birba - Corn, English Pea, Pancetta, Ricotta, Pecorino, Egg Yolk
JA - Covid was hard on everybody, but we have made the best of it. Once everything started opening up and outdoor recreation was still OK the program really began to flourish….everybody realized outdoor recreation was available to do in a safe and healthy way.
F10 - What Birba pizza did you choose to represent CRWU for this quarter’s Piece of the Pie and why?
JA - We left that up to the masters at Birba and they truly have come up with an awesome creation that we're looking forward to trying out ourselves - it sounds delicious.
F10 - What is one of your personal favorite items on the Birba menu?
JA - I love the TUTTO CARNE PIZZA the combination of sweet and smoky and savory just hits a lot of different notes on my pallet…I truly love it. I also love the Desert Bird (White Rum, Amari da Birba, Pineapple, Lemon) - I like a good mixed drink and they make a truly nice one.
F10 - How can we best support Come Ride With Us?
Donations are always welcome and are much needed for this program. You can always call the Alcorn Adaptive Bike and Mobility Shop at 760-464-0366 or stop by anytime at 755 Williams Rd. unit 783 A Palm Springs, CA 92264.
I have also started an Amazon Wishlist. Community members can donate and buy directly through the wishlist and have it drop-shipped to my shop.
F10 - Are there any items on the Amazon wishlist, in particular, you are in extra need of at this time?
JA - The Amazon Wishlist truly is a wish list. I would love to get the program set up with its own repair equipment and its own bike stands so that the kids can come into the Unity Center and work on their own bikes and get them fixed.
F10 - What can we expect next from you and CRWU?
JA - I’ve hit the ground running becoming the Chairman of Parks and Recreation for the City Of Palm Springs Commission. Besides bringing in and expanding the CRWU ride program, we now have an archery program that we teach to over 45 kids and 20 adults per week. I'm also a USA Archery Certified Instructor, Coach Janice and I have built that program from the ground up. We're also bringing in a Disc Golf to Sunrise Park that's all-inclusive for all abilities. We have such a beautiful town…my goal is to make it accessible and better for the next generation and truly represent the town for the gem that it is.
3 WAYS TO SUPPORT
1) visit the Amazon Wishlist to purchase or donate
2) call or stop by the Alcorn Adaptive at 755 Williams Rd. Unit 783 A, Palm Springs, CA
3) visit us at Birba and purchase the Piece of the Pie Pizza, all profits after cost go to CRWU
