In sticking, for one more day, with the bike theme, today’s charity in Little Rock Arkansas is Recycle Bikes for Kids. As the name implies this group pledges to provide a bike for any child that wants one, up to the age of 16. Volunteers find, fix and shine up the bikes for their new owners, a total of over 11,000 to date. Further, any person 16 years and older can get a bike through the program as well, they just need to volunteer and give a specified number of hours to the program first.
Reliable transportation can be one of the cornerstones of achieving success in life; fitness is one of the foundational parts of extending that life in a healthy and enjoyable way. Recycle Bikes for Kids helps people in their community check both boxes.
One of the things I liked about the volunteer program is that they do a good job about breaking down any trepidation a person might have about participating. I, for example (perhaps embarrassingly) , don’t have the first clue fixing up an old bike (or a new one really) and might feel apprehensive about my ability to contribute. However, the web page makes sure to list several ways volunteers can help without ever touching a bike, clearing the path for just about anyone interested in volunteering to do so.
I also can’t say enough about the program that allows people to volunteer toward earning their own bike. There is so much good here. Between getting involved in a civic minded activity (something which, once people do, they tend to do again), earning reliable transportation, and building healthy habits, this seems like about as productive a use of a person’s time as I can imagine.
I already own (and use) a bike, but if I lived in Little Rock I’d volunteer for this organization in a heartbeat. Learn more about this at their web site!