TRC’s SAFER Program, local business aid employee after bicycle stolen

TRC’s SAFER Program and Pearl City Cycle teamed up to assist a person whose bicycle was stolen.

Josh Johnson, Staff Assistance Specialist, shared that on a recent Monday, the person briefly left their bicycle unattended outside their home, and when they returned the bike was gone. The bike was the person’s primary mode of transportation.

“This forced the employee to walk the 2 miles to and from their work each day,” Josh said. By the following Thursday, the person was struggling. Knowing the lack of transportation was going to negatively affect their ability to work, the person sought assistance from their company’s Human Resources Department. At the HR representative’s recommendation, the person contacted SAFER about their dilemma.

SAFER (which stands for Supporting and Facilitating Employee Retention) supports people in overcoming barriers to successful employment. Local businesses contract with TRC to operate SAFER at their work sites in order to address issues that could affect a person’s ability to successfully maintain employment.

After speaking with the person whose bike was stolen, SAFER representatives went to work checking with its contacts, some of which provided reduced-cost solutions, Josh said. Pearl City Cycle, located on Fairmount Avenue in West Ellicott, had a bicycle that recently had been donated. Josh said Pearl City supports local programs aimed at getting bicycles to people who need them for work and day-to-day living. He said a Pearl City representative indicated, “That’s part of our mission, giving back.”

“Pearl City Cycle inspected, cleaned and tuned the bike, and had it ready by Friday afternoon,” Josh said. “This was in time to deliver the bike, free of charge, to its new owner, the employee in need, at their home, after walking what would hopefully be the last walk home from work for a long time.”

Josh said the person was excited to receive the bike and amazed to get it so quickly and to have it delivered, exclaiming admiringly, “You guys don’t play!”

Based on this happy ending, SAFER encourages owners of unused bikes to consider donating them to Pearl City Cycle. By doing so, you will contribute to the initiative to support people who need reliable transportation to work. We thank SAFER and Pearl City for collaborating to preserve the employee’s ability to get to and from their job.

NOTE: Local businesses interested in bringing SAFER to their worksites may contact the program at 716-640-5151 or at [email protected].