Olathe Lowrider Bike Club expands into JOCO youth correctional facility

OLATHE, Kansas – The Olathe Leadership Lowrider Bike Club is growing and now has nine chapters across the country. On Wednesday, officials cut the ribbon for the first club, which will be housed in a youth detention center.

The Johnson County Juvenile Detention Center wanted to partner with the Olathe Lowrider Bike Club four years ago to build bikes at the facility. First, they had to figure out funding and security measures.

“We had to look at what kind of tools we needed to bring here, and the genius of Erik’s program is that it has easy-to-use tools,” said Ellen Hawks, director of the Juvenile Services Center.

The Lowrider bike program began in 2016 for at-risk Hispanic students and has expanded to all Olathe students.

For program founder Erik Erazo, the projects aren’t so much about building a bike as they are about building relationships and mentoring. He says there’s no better place to offer guidance than where kids may have gone down the wrong path.

“Kids have questions and they will find the right answers, but if an adult who is there doesn’t give them those answers, they will find them somewhere else. And we hope that they will ask those questions and get those answers from adults who care about them and guide them on the right path so that hopefully they don’t end up in an adult facility,” Erazo said.

During their school day, students work on the bikes throughout high school and take them home with them. The average stay in the youth detention center is about three weeks.

“The approach will be a little different, but it is a team-building project,” Erazo explained.

There are currently eight children imprisoned in the detention camp, and according to the camp director, they are enthusiastic about the program.

“Everything we do is aimed at creating positive and meaningful change, and I see this opportunity as a chance to really capture your attention and interest,” Hawks said.