High school students ride for mental health at Wellness on Wheels event

Emma Balter, Houston Chronicle Staff writer

May 16, 2021

Rene Gonzalez stood in front of the pack of about 40 cyclists Saturday morning, feet in pedals, ready to lead a 12-mile ride across the East End.

Gonzalez created Wellness on Wheels in 2020 to improve student mental health at Milby High School, where he works as student support manager for Communities in Schools, a non-profit that provides students mental health services, dropout prevention and other resources.

An avid cyclist himself, Gonzalez believes biking can be a great complement to therapy. He’s led a social ride every Thursday in the East End for years. When participants told him how much the ride helps them deal with personal troubles, Gonzalez realized he should replicate it at school. He started WOW Wednesdays at Milby, where students can talk and ride through their issues after school.

It came at a critical time. The coronavirus pandemic exacerbated existing problems in teenagers’ lives.

“During the COVID period, the depression rate, the suicide rate and the anxiety rate has skyrocketed at our school,” said Gonzalez. “On the phone or FaceTime, that’s not enough anymore, you need that human contact.”

The isolation of quarantine, and not being able to leave the house, has taken a toll on students. Gonzalez adds that many kids come to school to get away from broken or troubled homes. “That’s what scared us, there was no outlet for them,” he said.

When CIS and Milby started reintroducing outdoor activities this year, Gonzalez said the students were clamoring to be involved. After months of delays due to virus cases, he finally felt comfortable hosting a large WOW ride Saturday. It featured a longer route and students from other CIS schools in Houston, as well as community partners and city leaders.

“It’s good for the mind and soul, you can just relax, it’s like therapy in a way,” said Jaylene Acosta, 17, a student at Milby High School who was one of the original WOW riders when the program started.

Her sister, Brenda Acosta, 19, was in the program too but graduated from Milby in 2020. She came on Saturday to show support. She said she likes that “Mr. Rene” — as many of the kids call him — organizes these types of programs that are welcome to all and free of charge.

“What Rene is doing for these kids is so awesome,” said Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who was one of the city officials riding on Saturday.

Just like adults have a work family, teens have a school family, Garcia said. “When you remove them from that environment, it does impact them. I’m concerned about how many kids we lost in the process,” he said.

To get WOW off the ground, Gonzalez received a lot of help from the community. All of the bikes used by the students are donated by people across the city, and even from the San Antonio Police Department, who heard about the program and donated 80 bikes that Gonzalez picked up in a trailer and brought to Houston. Houston Bcycle also lent 30 bikes free of charge for the Saturday ride. CIS has partners like EaDo Bike Co who do repairs and safety checks.

Escorted by police officers from Precinct 6, the cyclists set off around 9:30 a.m. There were three stops along the route for refreshments and restrooms. At the first one, Lantrip Elementary in Eastwood, Milby students Eduardo Rivera, 16, and José Camposano, 15, were taking a snack and juice break.

“I like being outdoors,” said Camposano, who regularly plays football, soccer, basketball and baseball. “This is my second time doing something with (Gonzalez). He’s friendly with everybody.”

Rivera has been a skateboarder for seven years and likes exercizing, so he was compelled to join WOW when Gonzalez told him about it. Even though they attend the same school — Rivera is a freshman and Camposano is a sophomore — the pair actually met through this program.

The past year has been difficult for both of them. “It messed up everything,” said Camposano about the pandemic.

“Doing school at home, it’s really difficult to concentrate,” said Rivera.

The next stop was at Finca Tres Robles, an urban farm in Second Ward that provides affordable produce to the community. Gonzalez wanted to show the kids that this was a resource for them, calling it “a hidden treasure” for the neighborhood. He grew up in the East End and his parents still live there — they even cheered the cyclists on with bells as they rode passed their house.

Finca Tres Robles co-founder Tommy Garcia-Prats explained their mission to the kids, how they grow their fruits and vegetables, and showed them fennel and moringa plants as examples of what’s sold at their Saturday farm stand. One girl asked about summer internships after a Milby student on the ride was identified as a former Finca Tres Robles intern.

Around noon, the bikers were greeted by staff at Gallegos Elementary with pompoms and cheers, as well as more water and snacks. The loop ended back at Milby, where CIS partners set up tents and engaged with the students. El Centro de Corazón, Houston Area Women’s Shelter, Family Alliance Network, DePelchin Children’s Center and others were there with pamphlets and swag.

The ride was mostly smooth-sailing, although Gonzalez got a flat along the way. He uses it as a metaphor: We all deal with challenges, but it’s how we deal with them that determines how we live. He wants the kids to see the teamwork and problem-solving involved in fixing hiccups like a flat tire, and apply those skills to their lives.

“It’s more than just riding a bike,” he said.

Gonzalez has a broader vision for WOW. In September, he received a $5,000 grant from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation to offer the larger event twice a year; the next one will be in October. His goal is to have WOW rides in other CIS-supported schools in Texas and beyond.

Eventually, his dream is to turn WOW into its own nonprofit, allying his love of cycling with his passion for mental health.