In a year full of pandemic pressures and social unrest, a coalition of Zachary neighbors found new connections, shared fitness goals, and a way to socialize safely while on the move. They are the Zachary Community Riders and thats how they roll.
The Zachary Community Riders come from different walks of life, represent all ages groups and are racially diverse. The love of hitting the road on a bike and meeting new friends is the glue keeping them together and growing.
The group met Saturday at LSU Lakes after two rides in the week that left from the Zachary Community Park. After Saturdays ride, the Community Riders had logged more than 100 miles in the month of August.
Founder Serrita Givens was on a personal mission long before the pandemic turned attention to health concerns. Her wake-up call came in the fall of 2018. I was 320 pounds in September of 2018 and I knew I had to lose weight it was hard to breath and exercise, I was lazy, and just the extra weight was holding me down, she said. So, one day I just decided that I had to get fit.
Givens turned to social media to help find other people to exercise with her and support each other. She found a community of mothers and women interested in walking. The slogan Get Fit with Ree became a battle cry for Givens and a newfound group of supporters.
The group expanded its reach and methods in early summer. Bike riding was added to change the exercise pace and attract more people and families looking for ways to get out, get exercise, and safely practice social distancing under the sky instead of confined under a roof. I just kept the name attached it to the Community Riders because we're still getting Fit with Ree, but we're just doing it another way, Givens said.
Heather Steinberger has only been in Zachary for four years so she could relate to the need meet new friends while also on a similar weight-loss journey. She moved from San Antonio, Texas, and will often ride with her three children making the Community Riders a family affair as well as a way to pursue health goals. I had to drop some pounds and I set a weight loss goal is 100 pounds, she said. I've already dropped 40 since last year just by diet alone. Now I'm working in the exercise part of it.
Richard Wilkinson is a lifelong resident of Zachary, but he had a need to do something different and connect when he started riding with the group a month ago. I was riding to meet people and to get out the house, he said. Now I can't stop; I gotta go ride.
Kathy Hale and Kelli Harrison are new to Zachary, but not to each other. The Hale and Harrison families moved to Zachary from Vermont a year ago. Both of their husbands relocated to work at the River Bend Nuclear Power Station. Their families have a strong connection to each other, and they sought to develop ties in their new community.
Moving here and only knowing Kelli in this entire state, I wanted to join something, Hale said. And I had been a part of a group for over 12 years and I thought about starting another book group, and then the pandemic and I realized that wasn't probably going to happen.
Hale worked as a recreation therapist for more than 35 years, so she had a strong desire to find some physically active and outdoors. She hadnt formed ties with anyone on her street and saw the Get Fit with Ree social media post. I reached out to her because she wanted to start a multiracial, multigenerational group, and I was all up for that, Hale said. So, it was a win-win to know that all these great people and we're doing our part to find common bonds as we get to know everybody, and its a wonderful thing.
Givens has connected her family with other families in the riding group. Her son, Darryl, is a linebacker on the Zachary High Football team and he joined his mother Saturday to loosen up his legs and work on endurance. Givens brother, Jason, is a teacher and health enthusiast. He adds advice on bike routes while supporting his sisters health and fitness goals.
The group got a boost in support after the development of the Community Unity Project in Zachary. The social justice organization has held marches, forums and community discussions as national attention was sparked following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. The two groups seem to have different missions, but they shared a need to bring people in the community together and develop both relationships and alliance. CUPs core leaders are young, so many participate in both sets of activities.
The riders meet three days a week Tuesdays and Thursdays evenings at the Zachary Community Park on Scenic Highway and they take the show on the road to different routes on Saturday mornings. For more information or to connect, look for Zachary Community Riders on Facebook.
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Community Riders find the wheel to form bonds, stay fit - The Advocate
