/
Print
Services
Residents
Business
Visitors
Government
City of Knoxville
Blogs
City Blog
Two Bikes Mentorship Empower...
Two Bikes Mentorship Empowers Knoxville Youth
Two Bikes is a bike shop in Knoxville's Old City. It opened in April 2021 and serves local cyclists, many of whom commute through downtown and drop in to the store to use the community workstands posted in the rear of the space.
The bike shop is also home to a mentoring program empowering local youth.
Sales and E-Commerce instructor Annmarie Groves explains that the bike shop's internship program, which began in summer of 2022.
"The store's owner, Mitchell [Connell], tells a story about when he was in high school -- that he would hang out for hours at his local bike store and do anything -- sweep floors -- to try to get a job there." Eventually, he did get a job there. "He wanted to create that opportunity for kids in this community," she says.
Annmarie Groves and Tahn Cao review Two Bikes' online inventory.
High school students ages 14-18 can sign up to learn about e-commerce and marketing or bike maintenance. A few, like Connor Weaver, a sophomore at Fulton High School, have learned both.
Mentor Tahn Cao learned the value of mentorship when he was a young man. Through his church, he had opportunities to experience the outdoors and outdoor sports that he wouldn’t otherwise have had.
"I'm not a teacher or a parent," says Grove. "More like a friend, but you have to follow the rules."
For National Mentoring Month, the
Empower Knox
team is helping showcase the value of mentoring in our community through a series of videos and social media posts. See how mentoring benefits the mentor, the mentee and our entire community.
Visit this
list of resources
to learn more about mentoring opportunities in Knoxville.
Posted by
ptravis
On 25 January, 2023 at 12:37 PM
Recent Posts
Stadium Halfway Completed: Wooden Roof Installed - Next Up, Light Poles!
Meet Your Neighborhood Firefighters! Hundreds Attend Easter Egg Hunt / Open House at Station 12
City Employee Hard at Work for 50 Years: 'I Love My Job, I Love Keeping Busy'
Residents Weigh in on Future of McClung Redevelopment
Urban Wilderness: 1 week, 2 milestones
Congratulations to KPD's Newly Promoted Officers!
#PublicWorksWednesday: Dirty Lots and Neighborhood Codes
KPD Officer Delivers Groceries to Snowbound 90-Year-Old: 'I Love Taking Care of My Community'
KFD Provided Life-saving Help During the Snowstorm: 'We Made a Difference'
Fleet Services Technicians Worked 24/7 to Keep City Plow & Salt Trucks on the Road 24/7
Archives
April 2024 (4)
March 2024 (3)
February 2024 (3)
January 2024 (2)
December 2023 (4)
November 2023 (5)
October 2023 (4)
August 2023 (1)
July 2023 (1)
June 2023 (4)
May 2023 (2)
Group Blogs
City Blog
KAT Blog
KPD News & Alerts
Magnolia Avenue Streetscapes Project
More...
Post Categories
City Events
City Services
Cumberland Ave.
Downtown
Government
KAT
Mayor Kincannon
Meetings
Neighborhoods
Outdoor & Recreation
Public Safety
Redevelopment
Road Work
South Waterfront
Sustainability
Content Alert Subscription
Blog Feeds
Podcast Feeds
Subscribe to Email Alerts