Staff
How many people do you know who own a bike but haven’t ridden it in years?
How many bikes sit parked in your garage, collecting cobwebs and dust?
Bicycles are something we may take for granted, but they can mean a whole new life for the men, women, and children of Africa.
More than 300 bikes—donated by district residents—were taken to Thunder Bay last November, where they were fixed up and then shipped to a community in Africa this past spring.
A group of district volunteers once again is collecting unwanted bicycles to send to Africa as part of the “Bicycles for Humanity” project.
The group is asking the public to donate bikes, no matter if they’re new, used, or broken, so they can be loaded up on a trailer and sent away at the end of October.
To find out where you can drop off bikes near you, contact the following “Bikes for Humanity” volunteers:
•Fort Frances—Val Calder (274-5213), Pat Ash (274-6737), or Marlene Yuill (274-6921);
•Nestor Falls—David Roang (484-2636); and
•Emo, Barwick, and Stratton—Inge Scheibler (487-2237) or Jim and Maxine Scheibler (487-1425).
There currently is no drop-off location for used bikes in Rainy River, but organizers would love to see one established there.
Anyone interested can contact any of the above participants.
Once collected, the bicycles will be transported to Thunder Bay, where a local “Bicycles for Humanity” chapter will take them apart, fix them up, and then load them into a container to be shipped to Africa.
In related news, members of the Church of the Holy Spirit here will be hosting a chili dinner Oct. 9 from 5-7 p.m. to raise funds to help pay for the expenses that occur in getting the bicycles to Thunder Bay, such as the cost of gas.
The dinner will be by donation only and everyone is welcome to attend.
Meanwhile, once the bikes arrive in Africa, they’ll be used to help create jobs and provide environmentally-friendly transportation.
“Bicycles for Humanity” first started in September, 2005 with the simple aim of enabling people to raise funds and collect unwanted bicycles to send to reliable partners in developing countries.
In partnership with organizations in those countries, “Bicycles for Humanity” provides resources and support to make the process accountable and efficient.
It works at the grassroots level to ensure that disadvantaged people are empowered through improved access to food and water, employment, health care, education, and social opportunities.
To learn more about the organization, visit www.bicycles-for-humanity.org
