Graydon Patterson - 1999 Cycling Safety and Promotion Program Volunteer of the Year

Dependable. Knowledgeable. Dedicated. Caring. These words and more describe the 1999 Cycling Safety and Promotion Program Volunteer of the Year, Graydon Patterson.

This volunteer's commitment was clear right from the start. It was late April, the coordinator had just started in the S&P office, and the program was short on CAN-BIKE instructors. Somehow, Graydon was easily convinced to spend every Saturday in May teaching two different classes of kids. The first ended at noon, and the second started at 1:00. Some would see this as an hour for lunch - if they didn't have to cycle from Old Ottawa South to Barrhaven.

From then on the coordinator relied heavily on our volunteer of the year for information. He was constantly bombarded with questions about CAN-BIKE and courses and locations and everything else. Graydon was always willing to help, providing all of the information needed in a polite and informative manner.

By mid summer this volunteer was writing for Better Bicycling, and helped to distribute it to some of the farthest reaches of the Region. He was also looking forward to new goals, setting his sights at becoming a CAN-BIKE National Examiner.

As summer browned into autumn, this volunteer and instructor could be seen helping kids to learn the basics of cycling, as well as showing adults how to survive a multiple lane-change on King Edward Avenue. He also co-wrote and presented a presentation on "Sharing the Road" to truck drivers from the point of view of a cyclist.

Finally, as the Program heads into winter, Graydon is still active and currently involved in a project to develop a CAN-BIKE course for seniors interested in building cycling skills and confidence - and you can always see him setting a positive example by cycling through snow, sleet or rain. Thank you for all of your hard work!

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