By: Amy Whitesall, Ann Arbor News
Monday, February 05, 2007

Oscar Ybarra in the Ann Arbor News
December 24, 2006

From the article:

The Rev. Terence Treppa's hobbies - riding with the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society and playing guitar with the Silver Strings Dulcimer Society - make nice diversions for the 65-year-old priest. They're also reminders to his parishioners that he has a life outside St. Richard Parish in Westland.

They're purely social outlets - the bike club even has occasional "no mileage rides,'' which generally happen at a restaurant, and Treppa jokingly calls it the Bicycle, Lunch and Touring Society.

But strands of citizenship can be found even in the most social places.

Bike club members, for example, ride to raise money for the Ecology Center and for Lions Clubs. They ride to raise awareness of cyclists who have been hurt or killed on bikes. Each spring, certified club members teach a nationally sanctioned skills class, which is open to the public.

In general, our social networks are the things that make the world seem smaller, weaving comfort and support into sometimes unexpected places. They include all those things that you don't get paid for but choose to do, anyway - the PTO, your softball team, choir, book club, church. Your family is a social network, so is your circle of friends.

Although you may not consider joining a bike club or musical society or even having friends over for dinner good citizenship, social networks are an important part of civic life. By fostering actions like trust and reciprocity, they reach into many areas of our lives and lubricate the day-to-day workings of our communities. On a more basic level, studies have shown good social relationships keep us healthy and help keep us alive....

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