BACK IN THE SADDLE: Second Chance bikes rides again

AURORA | In November, the sudden death of Ernie Clark left his nonprofit, Second Chance Bicycle Shop, both leaderless and homeless. 

The redevelopment of Aurora’s East Bank Shopping Center had forced the nonprofit project to relocate, but at the time of his passing, Ernie was struggling to find a new spot for the shop that offered free bikes to children, homeless people and others in need.

The charity was a labor of love for Ernie, a former New Jersey police officer who started Second Chance out of a garage and built it into a community asset that won ovations from leaders across the state and nation.

Ernie was the public face of Second Chance, which he ran with the help of a team of volunteers. But his heavy involvement in the day-to-day operations of the shop also meant his death plunged its future into uncertainty.

Ernie also supported his wife, Faith, through her struggles with cancer and inspired their daughter, Betty, to follow in his footsteps as a police officer. After Ernie’s death, Betty told the Sentinel how she promised her father that she would help carry on his legacy “come hell or high water.”

Now, she’s making good on her promise and says Second Chance is gearing up to reopen out of a new storefront in Centennial.

“It was fabulous. I couldn’t have asked for a better timing,” Betty said. “We’re grateful, and we’re excited to be moving in the right direction, and we look forward to helping people more in the future.”

A local roofing company, Artisan Construction, is allowing Second Chance to sublease the space at 6920 S. Jordan Road rent-free, she said. Betty said the company reached out after seeing a Facebook post about the nonprofit needing help moving items out of the East Bank location and into storage units.

“They have helped us continue the legacy,” Betty wrote in a text message. “Without them, none of this would be possible.”

While slightly smaller than their last space, Betty says the new location is heated and includes a warehouse for the nonprofit’s large inventory of bicycles. Volunteers have been working for several weeks to move bicycles and set them up in the new space, she said.

The offer of help from Artisan Construction came more than a year after the team responsible for redeveloping East Bank pledged to help Ernie find a new space for Second Chance, but came up empty handed in Aurora.

Though lobbyist Marcus Pachner said the group had held regular planning meetings and reached out to business contacts to try to find a space for Ernie, they were ultimately unsuccessful. Ernie at one point toured a location on East Colfax Avenue but turned it down, citing safety worries and other concerns.

Councilmember Alison Coombs, whose ward includes the East Bank Shopping Center, was also involved in the effort to find another home for Second Chance, along with a retail specialist working for the City of Aurora.

While Coombs said she was disappointed that Second Chance’s supporters weren’t able to find another place for the nonprofit in Aurora, she was glad to hear Betty and others were carrying on Ernie’s legacy.

“I think it’s really unfortunate that we couldn’t find something more affordable for them,” she said. “It’s a common problem that we have with small nonprofits and small businesses, where our commercial space just isn’t affordable. But mostly I’m just really happy for them that they were able to find a really good deal that’s going to help them operate and continue to serve.”

Second Chance was also promised $20,000 by Evergreen Development Company and Kimco, both involved in the redevelopment, to help with the move. Pachner wrote in a statement Tuesday that the funding (minus the cost of storage provided to Second Chance) was still forthcoming and that the contributors were “finalizing the funding method.”

“We’re happy to have supported such a wonderful nonprofit organization that has made a significant positive impact in the community, and we hope that the almost five years of free rent we donated played a small part in helping Second Chance to achieve their mission,” Chris Ciminiello of Kimco said in the statement.

Pachner also reported that an additional $25,000 had been pledged by UnitedHealthcare, with UnitedHealthcare’s West Region Vice President Eric Palmquist saying in the statement that the company was “dedicated to helping people live healthier lives” and that their “mission aligns well with the mission of Second Chance Bikes.”

“UnitedHealthcare’s role as an Angel contributor truly helped to bring this project full circle and will allow Second Chance Bikes to continue to thrive as an impactful community partner for years to come,” Pachner wrote.

Coombs said she also plans to support a proposal to contribute $25,000 on behalf of the city at the council’s upcoming spring budget workshop.

Although Second Chance has left Aurora for the city’s southern neighbor, Betty confirmed that they will continue to partner with organizations that they worked with previously in Aurora, including local schools and the police department.

Second Chance has had to move several times during its 20-plus years in existence, though Betty said this is the first time the nonprofit has been based outside of Aurora. She said the organization hopes to reopen officially by June 1.

“And we’ll probably have an open house once we’re all set up to show people our new place and tell people we’re back,” she said. “Not back in business literally, but back to keep my dad’s legacy going.”