Bike Education and Advocacy Goes Full Circle at The Promise Center of Homewood

Sarah an instructor with a yellow helmet smiles at a group of six students, aged between five and seven years old astride their red bicycles.

Celebrating the conclusion of our 8-week engagement with The Promise Center of Homewood’s Summer Camp and a year of advocacy and education in the neighborhood!

The Promise Center of Homewood, founded in 2022 by Nate Goodson, provides out of school time programming for area youth and connects them with vital resources from nutrition to tutoring in a safe and welcoming environment.

BikePGH’s relationship with The Promise Center began with a chance meeting at our Operation Illumination event in July of 2024 and a humble request for bike lights and helmets at an upcoming back to school event. When nine-year-old Courtney Carter, a Promise Center attendee, was killed on her bike in the neighborhood three weeks later, it highlighted the urgent need for safer streets and more bike education in the community. BikePGH has spent the last year working with the center to advocate for traffic calming in the community through their Courtney’s Promise program, and helping them build their bike education capacity.

Fast forward to this summer and The Promise Center of Homewood has taken bike education to the next level by installing a traffic garden on their parking lot donated by Everline Coatings and a new bike fleet donation courtesy of Pitt Athletics and Pittsburgh Pro Bikes. Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) has also installed speed bumps, crosswalks, and curb extensions on Hamilton avenue to calm traffic and improved sidewalk conditions near the center.

Youth at The Promise Center pose with their new bikes in front of the Pitt Athletics shuttle bus. — *Youth at The Promise Center with their new bikes in May of 2025*

Summer Safe Cycling Program

A final piece of the puzzle was added with more on-bike education at the site. BikePGH Education Manager, Ted King-Smith along with League Cycling Educator Coach, Neil Walker, and instructors Robin Woods and Sarah Scherk planned an eight week engagement at the site to teach bike handling skills and the rules of the road to youth aged five to fifteen (special thanks to special guest instructors Jacob Evangelista and Amie Powell!) Older youth (ten and up) learned safe on-street riding and took trips to The Frick car museum, the Highland Park fountain, and The Bud Harris Cycling Track. Riders under ten mastered bike handling skills and played fun bike games like slow race, box slide, and bike limbo among others. All riders who completed the program earned a “Safe Cycling Award” from BikePGH and developed the confidence to ride their bikes in a safe and controlled manner.

We look forward to seeing what’s next for the youth of The Promise Center whose level of excitement for biking is matched only by their new skills and dedication to safety!

Six younger students post with their instructors while they hold their safe cycling awards.

Ten students aged between ten and fifteen pose with their safe cycling awards with their instructors, Neil, Sarah, Robin, and Ted.

Thank You

Huge thanks to Nate Goodson and the staff of The Promise Center for having us and for all their amazing work in the community. Thanks also to People for Bikes for supporting our work in Homewood and surrounding communities this summer. Finally, thank you to our members for supporting our vital work in bike advocacy and education!