Feature Story

Tate James' heart is in the right place, but it has yet to find a home.
His nonprofit organization, the Norman bike coop, is in danger of coming to a screeching halt since their former workspace was condemned.
Beginning as a bike library, James said the Norman Bike Coop offered to "check-out" refurbished bicycles to those who donated their old bikes.
Eventually, word of mouth worked its magic and cyclists were coming in with questions about repairs, cycling laws and biking events they could attend.
Along with co-founder Chris Bowles, james decided to help their customers become more independent in their bicycle needs by teaching classes on bike repair and safety.
"In every city there's usually a nonprofit bike shop, but there aren't as many places where you can go and learn how to work on your bike for free," said Bowles.
As a serious cyclist, Colin Stringer understands the potential high dollar amounts of bicycle repair and therefore saw the value in these classes.
"I was building a bike from scratch and, you know, bike tools are expensive," he said. "It was nice to have a place to go where I could use what I needed without having to worry about the cost."
Overwhelmed by the response to these classes, the nonprofit founders wanted to widen their spectrum of the project to make a bigger impact in the community.
"What they're doing is so important," said Stringer, "because if you know how to build your bike then you know more about how it works and how to maintain it properly."
So far, James said they recently pushed legislation through citiy council to replace all outdated bike grates, and continue to post cycling news and updates in their online blog, www.normanbikecoop.com.
But their exploding success came to a standstill when their garage space was conedemned by its landlord, forcing them to temporarily abandon the organization.
"We are currently shopping around for a new space, but since we are an unofficial nonprofit organization, it has to be completely donated, which is difficult to find," said Bowles.
James isn't picky and said any two-car garage with electricity will be more than substantial.
The founders also say that for the nonprofit to thrive again, they will need many more volunteers to handle the influx of bicycle parts.
"Everyone loves the idea, but no one wants to volunteer," said Bowles.
But until they find a new space, they said they wish to focus on cycling issues in and effort to continually improve their community.
"It's a constantly moving and changing project," said James.
James adds that the community was obviously already there, they just gave it a venue.
But now that venue is in danger of dissapearing.
One can only hope that these philanthropists will find a heart kind enough to lend them a more permanent home.