For the last several weeks, BORP’s board and staff have been processing the tragic death of George Floyd, the recent protests against police violence and systemic racism, and the rising awareness that something must be done to address these injustices. Most importantly we have begun the process of critically looking at how BORP can be a positive force in combating racism and contributing to social justice in the future. The following statement summarizes our discussions and a way forward. 

BORP is deeply saddened and troubled by the police violence and brutality against Black men and women and peaceful protesters during the last few weeks. We wish to express our full support for our communities challenging injustice. The systematic brutality we’ve seen again and again perpetrated against Black people is not new. What is new, is the outpouring of outrage and the widespread acknowledgement that racism in our country must end and be addressed in meaningful and impactful ways. The fight for racial justice intersects with the disability community in that violence, including violence by law enforcement, disproportionately impacts people with disabilities.

To move forward and demonstrate BORP’s commitment to address racial inequities within our organization, we will conduct staff training on racial equity, develop and implement an equity plan to better serve communities of color and other marginalized groups, and become educated about how we can be better allies in the movement to end racism.

We stand/sit in solidarity. Black lives matter. 

We are all looking forward to a time when we can enjoy the outdoors and other activities together. Our BORP bus has made many trips to regional parks, coastal hiking trails and community events. These areas are difficult to access through public transportation alone, and our wheelchair accessible buses make it possible to travel in small groups. BORP transportation has been selected to receive a Federal FTA 5310 grant for the purchase of a new accessible bus! This new bus will replace our older bus and will have a modified floor plan to allow up to 6 people in wheelchairs to ride together. This floor plan makes it possible for our youth wheelchair basketball team, sled hockey and youth cyclists to travel to their practices and local tournaments. The adult Adventure & Outings participants, and Power Soccer team will also benefit from having 2 reliable, safe and accessible buses in the future.

BORP’s accessible group trip transportation service is made possible by funding from Alameda County Transportation Commission through the Special Transportation Program for Seniors and People with Disabilities (Measure B funds). This service is aimed at improving the mobility of people with disabilities and increasing access to sports and recreation activities by supplementing conventional fixed route service and addressing the current gap in accessible group trip options for youth and adults with disabilities in Alameda County. 

In addition to providing transportation for BORP program participants, we also offer a fee-for-service Group Trip Service option with discounted community rates for disability groups and nonprofits. Our accessible buses allow your entire group to travel together in the same vehicle whether individuals are using a wheelchair or not.

If you would like to inquire about accessible bus for group outings please reach out to the BORP staff point of contact below.  We appreciate the opportunity to serve our fellow community organizations. We look forward to serving our community sometime in the future as we slowly and safely navigate participating in outdoor trips and events.

Point of contact: BORP Transportation Coordinator, Sarah-Dawn Smith, at transportation@borp.org

As we all know, COVID-19 has changed everything. In particular, the disability community is facing serious health and economic challenges, as well as increased social isolation. At BORP we are working hard to address at least some of these needs.

For some months before the pandemic, we were working on providing online fitness and wellness classes, but then COVID-19 struck, and, under the very capable leadership of Cynthia Noonan, the BORP Online Fitness Studio was born almost overnight. We have been overwhelmed by the popularity of the classes and the acclaim they have received.

As restrictions ease, BORP has started planning for the reopening of our programs. Our first priority is the health and safety of our participants, staff, and volunteers. To that end, we created a Task Force to plan our next steps. These will include the following:

• Train all program staff and volunteers on health and safety best practices.
• Ask participants to stay home if they have an elevated temperature, feel unwell, or have any other symptoms associated with COVID-19.
• Require participants, staff and volunteers to wear a mask, and wash hands and/or use sanitizer prior to and after participation.
• Implement social distancing at program sites.
• Sanitize equipment before and after each use.

We are excited about reopening, and plan to start with the Cycling Center (see article below). Our commitment is to reduce the risk as much as possible while offering our community opportunities for sports and recreation, but we cannot eliminate risk altogether. Each individual will need to make their own decisions about participation.On a final note, I wanted to update you on our 2020 Revolution. We have determined that the REV cannot go forward in Santa Rosa as originally planned, and we are planning a reimagined REV this year. While it will be different, it is more important than ever that our community comes together to support BORP’s programs. I hope you can join us to support BORP in weathering this challenging time.

Rick Smith, Executive Director

We are pleased to let you know that BORP recently published our 2019 Annual Report.

In 2019, in addition to serving 1,000+ participants, BORP expanded several of our programs, added initiatives to serve specific populations, and continued to provide a wide range of high quality adaptive sport, recreation and fitness activities to children, youth, and adults throughout the Bay Area. For more details, view the report HERE.

BORP is thrilled to announce the release of Move to the Beats, a free on-demand workout video designed by and for people with disabilities.

Move to the Beats is led by regular BORP instructor, JanpiStar and features 30+ fun minutes of cardio dance.

Says Janpi, “It makes me really happy to be part of this project. Like everyone else, people with disabilities need to exercise. Now they will have the opportunity to use this video as a tool to work out at home any time they need it.”

Check out the video preview, or view the entire workout on Youtube.

Thank you to the Kelly Brush Foundation for supporting this project!

Less than two weeks after the Bay Area shelter in place order was issued, BORP began offering online fitness classes. But we wouldn’t have been able to do this without our talented instructors.

Tina Ybarra, Carina Ho, JanpiStar, and Rachel Kahn provide classes in dance, strength training, and mindful movement. As word has spread about their high-quality instruction, people have joined us from across the country to exercise, stay healthy and create community. 

Carina graciously volunteers her time as an instructor. And in addition to leading Saturday’s Rumba with Tina classes, Tina volunteers to create all the cool TikTok videos that we post on BORP’s social media to publicize classes. 

If you haven’t had a chance to check out our live classes you can see recordings on ​our ​YouTube Channel. And you can find out more about the instructors in their bios.

Register for class here!

BORP is excited to announce the reopening of the Cycling Center on Saturday, June 6th. While we cannot completely eliminate the risks associated with COVID-19, we will follow the guidelines of local health departments and the City of Berkeley and take the necessary steps to minimize risk.

For the foreseeable future, we will implement the following changes: 

• Every rider must make a reservation over the phone or email. 510-848-2930 or leo@borp.org. A BORP staff member will get back to you to confirm. NO DROP-INS!
• All riders, staff, and volunteers must wear a mask at all times and maintain a six-foot distance from others.
• Riders are encouraged to use provided hand sanitizer, sanitary wipes, and/or to wash their hands before and after their ride.
• If you have a fever, don’t feel well, or have any other symptoms, please stay home. We will take participants’ temperatures when they arrive.
• BORP will disinfect commonly touched surfaces every hour.
• Bikes will be disinfected after each use.
• No more than four riders will be allowed at the Cycling Center at any one time.
• The gate will be closed to discourage people from walking into the courtyard unannounced.

This reopening will be BORP’s first effort to resume in-person programming. First and foremost, we want to assure the safety of participants, staff and volunteers. After almost three months of program suspension, BORP is thrilled to be taking this step. Give us a call, make a reservation, and let’s get riding.