Every year during the holidays I take a look at some bicycle donation programs for underprivileged children. It's always easy to find some big-hearted bicycle enthusiasts who are sharing their love of bicycling and youth by donating new or refurbished bikes to kids.
Bike Build 2007 by TurningWheels for Kids in San Jose is one of the biggest I ran across this year (left, picture by shutzele at flickr.com). Hundreds of volunteers assembled and donated 1,800 bicycles this past weekend.
I stumbled across others in Akron, Ohio; Houston, Texas; Syracuse, New York; Cleburne, Texas; Fontana, California and my current hometown of Bellevue, Washington. Some were big, others were small. Some raised money for new bikes, while others collected old bikes to be refurbished into a decent set of wheels for kids. I'm sure there were others. These just caught me eye.
San Jose
TurningWheels for Kids got its start a few years ago when Sue Runsvold collected enough money to give away a dozen bikes at Christmas. With the help of friends, the following year that became 40 bikes and last year grew to 1,000 bikes.
This year, cyclists gathered at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center's South Hall for Bike Build 2007 and assembled some 1,800 new bikes, which they gave away, the San Jose Mercury News reported. Among the cyclists building bikes included 10 members of the Wheels of Change cycling club, who built 100 bikes and posted some pictures from the bike build at flickr.com. Also, check out the TurningWheels for Kids blog.
Akron
Cycling fans Tim House and Brian Miner got Elves & More Northeast Ohio started in the Akron area. It's a spinoff of a Texas-based program that distributes bicycles to some of the nation's poorest neighborhoods in the Houston area.
While the two are happy to deliver bicycles to kids, they're most interested in the recipients using the bikes to visit neighborhood community centers. Addresses of community centers are attached to the handlebars.
Last year, House and Miner raised $16,000, reports the Akron Beacon Journal. Using the buying power of the national organization, they purchased 320 bikes and 60 trikes. This year, Elves & More Northeast Ohio raised $37,000, enough for nearly a thousand bikes. They're looking for volunteers to assemble bikes. Check the Elves & More Northeast website for details.
Houston
Meanwhile, Elves & More, founded by Texas software millionaire David Moore, is aiming to deliver 20,000 bicycles to kids in the poorest Houston area suburbs this year. Moore tells why people should volunteer for that amazing program.
Syracuse
Jan Maloof, the owner of a Syracuse area funeral home, is collecting bicycles to give away this year, reports a local TV station. The bikes can be in any condition; they'll be repaired and given away at the Fowler High School.
Little Rock
A local minister who heads a anti-crime group asked for help from the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department for help to raise money for bikes for kids. The Arkansas Democrat Gazette says he was shocked when the department raised enough to buy 45 new bikes for kids.
Cleburne, Texas
The local Elks Lodge gave away 41 bicycles last week, identifying kids who needed them with help from the local elementary school, reported the Cleburne Times Review.
Fontana, California
Police in Fontana continued their 22-year tradition of giving away bicycles to kids for the holidays. This year, 50 children — evenly matched boys and girls — received bikes after police collected about $2,500 in donations, says the Fontana Herald-News.
Bellevue, Washington
When Girl Scout and high school senior Rhiannon Probert-Baker volunteered in charitable gift rooms at Christmas, she noticed that mothers were always disappointed there weren't more bikes. So this year, she recruited some fellow scouts, collected some used bikes, and (with the help of bike mechanics at REI Redmond) learned how to put them into working condition. Now, she has 28 bikes and helmets ready for delivery.
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