I began volunteering with Community Bike Works in the Winter of 2008. At first, I was nervous, not particularly being a bike enthusiast, nor knowing anything anout bike mechanics, other than what was written in the Instructor's Manual given to me before I started. That concern quickly dissipated as I began working with the children, and I realized that the bike mechanics were a tool to a greater ends, not the end of themselves. I got to know a group of wonderful children, who were eager to learn, and were at a critical point in their development. Being a younger volunteer, as well as an ethinic minority myself, I felt the children really wanted to learn more about me - why would someone like me want to take the time to do this? Though I enjoyed the instructional part, the mentoring aspect of this program is what has really affected me, and what has really affected the children involved. Many of these children live in my neighborhood, and I still get the opportunity to interact with them, telling me about their days at school, and truly bouncing ideas about dealing with their life situation.