St. Charles high school students’ nonprofit donates bicycle safety kits to restaurant staff

St. Charles high school students Calvin Reed and James Bryner are working to improve pedestrian safety through their nonprofit organization, with a bicycle safety project started in memory of a resident who was fatally struck by a car last year.

Reed and Bryner founded St. Charles Urban Design Advocates, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization, with the goal of improving St. Charles through concepts of new urbanism, specifically pedestrian oriented design and transit oriented development.

The organization’s first project is The Bicyclist Safety Kit, in which they packaged and delivered safety kits to downtown restaurant employees. Reed said the project was inspired by the death of Rafael Hernandez-Villa, a chef at El Puente restaurant, who was struck by a vehicle on Route 64 while riding his bike home from work in October 2023.

Reed, a junior at East High School, and Bryner, a sophomore at North High School, are best friends who share a passion for contemporary urban design. They had the idea to start the organization in February this year, and received 501(c)(3) approval in June.

Reed said the desire to start the organization came from his and Bryner’s experiences in other countries and their belief that the way American infrastructure is designed could be fundamentally improved. He said in Europe, for example, they have a greater emphasis on pedestrian oriented environments and public transit, whereas in American suburbia, everything is far more car-centric.

“It’s a very different lifestyle, and we’ve been exposed to what it could be like,” Reed said. “Because of that, we want to take initiative to make St. Charles a more bikeable place, more walkable place and more transit oriented place.”

Reed said through their travels and research, they’ve been exposed to a lot of urban design trends that they believe should be implemented here to make pedestrian travel safer and more connective, and in turn, foster a greater sense of community. Their organization works with local politicians and city staff to promote these ideologies.

“This is our hometown. We care a lot about this place,” Reed said. “We’ve grown up here and we’ve had the privilege of seeing other places around the world...[Urban Design Advocates] was built off of a desire to make St. Charles a safer and better place in a way that we both saw fit.”

Reed said he believes there are a lot of people who share their view that pedestrian safety can be improved and the city could be redesigned to foster a greater sense of community.

“We’re not just two people fighting for this lone cause. I think virtually all people can relate to some form of our message, especially as it relates to young people who can’t drive and walking and biking is a way of life,” Reed said.

Each kit includes battery powered bicycle headlights and taillights, front and back reflectors, a bell, and a safety pamphlet with information and tips, all packaged in drawstring bags with reflective stripes. Each kit also comes with a bicycle helmet equipped with Multi-Directional Impact Protection System technology, in the color and size of the recipients choosing.

“We’re really encouraging people to be safe about riding their bike, in a way that isn’t super intrusive,” Reed said.

The organization received a $2,300 grant from the St. Charles Youth Commission, and used that money to create the safety kits, with the help of sponsoring businesses, Sammy’s Bikes and El Puente. Sammy’s bikes donated the reflectors, and the rest of the materials were purchased with the grant funding.

Reed and Bryner packed each kit themselves and began distributing them to restaurant staff on Sept. 30, starting with El Puente. Reed said they started with 30 kits, with plans to continue making more and expand into other cities in Kane County if there is enough demand.

“This will definitely help those who are economically disadvantaged in St. Charles and have no other transportation option but to bike to and from work in unsafe conditions,” Reed said.

El Puente owner David Jimenez is in full support of the project. He said when Reed and Bryner reached out to him with the idea, he was touched and humbled and thought it was a great idea.

“I was genuinely surprised and appreciative,” Jimenez said. “It seemed to make a lot of sense.”

Jimenez described Hernandez-Villa as dependable, reliable and hard working. He said Hernandez-Villa had worked for him for years and was the person all the other staff went to with questions.

“It was a big loss,” Jimenez said. “He was really just a fixture here, kind of like unofficial family for a lot of the people here, so it left a big hole.”

Jimenez said after the tragedy, the outpouring of support from the community was profound.

“We had flowers sent to us here at the restaurant, we got phone calls, we had people coming in and giving condolences for months,” Jimenez said. “From all of that, to what they came up with to try and prevent it happening again, we were really touched by it.”

El Puente has been operating at 112 E. Main St. in St. Charles for nearly 25 years. Jimenez said they have had several employees who commute to work by bike over the years, and said many other downtown establishments have employees who commute the same way.

“It was a shock to everybody here when that happened,” Jimenez said. “It was really just a tragic situation, so to be able to turn something like that into something that can help prevent it going forward and make it safer for the people that work down here, I think is tremendous.”

Jimenez said especially for community members who have recently immigrated here and are trying to get established, bikes open doors for them to get wherever they need to go and allows them to work. He said commuting by bicycle is something he doesn’t see going away any time soon.

“Given the expensive cost of owning and maintaining a car, the bicycle is a great tool for a lot of these people to find work,” Jimenez said. “I think it’s important that we recognize that and let people know that there are bikers everywhere and that’s not going to change anytime soon.”

Jimenez said he was impressed with Reed’s and Bryner’s dedication and determination to put this project together on their own to support his and other restaurants’ staff.

“I think they’ll be able to make a difference, because it’s something that any number of people who work down here can take advantage of,” Jimenez said. “It’s definitely something that will help avoid any future tragedy like this.”

“It’s absolutely preventable,” Reed said. “Nobody should have to die because they can’t afford the proper safety equipment for cycling, when they don’t have any other transportation option.”

To learn more about St. Charles Urban Design Advocates, make a donation or reach out, visit stcurbandesign.org or email stcurbandesigninitiative@gmail.com.