Hey everyone,
This will be the last post I make on our “Freedom Bike Give-a-Way.” Our last pick up day was yesterday where we gave away the rest of the bikes we had built up. We do have some 20″ and smaller bikes in our warehouse that would take some considerable mechanic time, so look for another bike give-a-way in the future.
Last night after we gave the last bike away, Jack did a count from the whole week. We gave away 123 bikes! So that is 123 more kids learning to ride in the Detroit area. There were plenty of families that said their children would be sharing bikes, so the number of kids riding now is probably even higher! Hopefully many of them will come back participate in the Youth Earn-a-Bike or Mechanics in Training program when they get older.
I’d like to thank all the organizations and individuals that got vouchers out to those that needed them as well so those that came to assist with the bike pick up days. Also, there were many hours of hard work in extreme heat with no air conditioning for our families, volunteers, allies and mechanics in training who did an amazing job.
When a group of committed people get together, good things can happen. Remember this is just one of hundreds of positive stories about Detroit that the national news will never tell. Thank you everyone.
Also, if you have a youth bike in your basement that isn’t being used anymore – bring it to us so we can help it find a good home. The best times to drop off donations are during our volunteer nights (Wednesdays and Thursday 6pm-8pm). Bring them to our Back Alley Bikes entrance (first alley West of Cass on MLK).
– Mx. Jason