Toni Gregorio-Bunch has joined the Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange (SVBE) as our Volunteer Coordinator, supporting our dedicated volunteers and improving their volunteer experience. Let's learn more about Toni.
What excites you most about joining the SVBE?
Supporting the dedicated volunteers who make up the heart of the organization and improving the volunteer experience.
What can you share about your personal or family bike collection?
I always had bikes growing up. One of my earliest bicycle memories is riding around my neighborhood on my shiny red banana-seat bike with high-riser handlebars. It was fun cruising around, exploring the world beyond my house on my own. One Christmas, I received a blue Raleigh girls commuter bike with sweptback handlebars - it was one of my favorite gifts - ever! After college, while playing a game of ultimate frisbee, I tore my ACL ligament, so I had to quit frisbee. To help in my recovery, I bought a shiny metallic blue Specialized Allez. It was a favorite for a long time. I currently own a black Gazelle for commuting around town. This birthday present was ordered directly from a dealer in Holland and shipped to California. Known as an ‘Oma fiets’ or grandmother bike, it is sturdy and super heavy but very comfortable for long, flat rides. My other bikes are a silver Specialized Roubaix road bike and a red Giant Nutra hybrid. I love the Roubaix! My brother-in-law built it for me as a gift. The hybrid is very old but has the most sentimental value.
What’s your favorite ride?
One of my favorite rides is the Christmas Lights Ride in Willow Glen. It’s an annual event organized by the Almaden Cycle Touring Club. We ride at night through the neighborhood, looking at all the houses, beautifully lit up with Christmas lights. At the end of the ride, we meet for a potluck. It’s a very fun event.
Beyond SVBE, what are you passionate about in the community?
I’ve volunteered with the California Native Plant Society - Santa Clara Valley Chapter since about 2007. I started volunteering as their outreach coordinator, staffing information tables and talking to the public about our work to protect native plants. It’s a wonderful, volunteer-based organization dedicated to preserving native plants in the wild and encouraging their use in urban gardens. I currently serve as the chapter’s vice president and am a member of its board.
Share a fun fact about yourself that most people wouldn't know.
I can play German folk songs on the harmonica. My mother grew up in Germany during the war and learned to play the harmonica and accordion as a child. She lived into her 90s, and I was her main caregiver for many years. To make our time more meaningful I learned to play the harmonica so we could make music together. It made for happy memories.