We have all heard it; at Pedal Power Cycle we are trying to live it, help you to live it and let you help us.
Did you check out what we do with trade ins? Let me share with you; some of your trades will make the trip down to Jamaica Plains to Bikes Not Bombs. Once there, local youths will be involved in repairing the bikes – learning skills, responsibility and reward for hard work as they earn their own bike. Some bikes will be repaired and boxed up with extra components and shipped to Africa where they will be given to adults and children in need of non-motorized transportation to get to jobs, schools and medical clinics. We received an update on Bikes Not Bombs. Last year they collected over 5,000 bikes, many through bike ‘drives’ over Greater Boston. They have run 5 ‘Earn-A-Bike’ sessions, 1 ‘Girls in Action’ session and 1 ‘STRIVE Earn-A-Bike session (for students with learning disabilities). They have shipped over 3,700 bikes to partners in Guatemala, Ghana, Sierra Leone and El Salvador.
Over the last 28 years they have shipped more than 50,000 — yes I said 50,000 bikes to third world countries and have worked with more than 3,200 young people. Amazing program isn’t it!
It’s exciting when plans actually happen as we want; we took bikes & components down in August, October, and May with more trips planned for this year. This last trip they recognized us! They are very glad PPC and you, our customers are supporting their efforts. Interested in learning more? Check out their website Bikes Not Bombs.
Those who have brought in bikes for the sole purpose of donating to BNB, Thank you for your generosity. We have brochures; ask for one, they are on the counter in the store – learn more about their mission: “We use the bicycle as a tool to foster young people’s leadership, development, and sense of individual and collective power to transform their own lives, strengthen communities and build a just and sustainable planet..” Want to learn more
Another way to help globally, while enjoying the ‘fruits’ locally, is through hand-woven bike baskets. We stock baskets by Joseph’s House of Talents, woven by a group of nearly 200 Ghanaian women. Joseph’s House of Talents donates a percentage of profits to a scholarship fund for children in the weaver’s community. Purchases of the beautiful, handmade baskets made from elephant grass, each individually dyed, will help individuals and communities struggling to make a better life for themselves and their children. Come get your own beautiful basket!
Kona AfricaBike program launched in 2006 resulted in the donation of nearly 4,000 bikes to healthcare workers, schools, water monitoring officers, and good-will organizations throughout Africa. Originally designed to assist those treating HIV and AIDS patients, the AfricaBike is designed to be a durable, easy-to-maintain and cost-effective solution to the transportation issues currently affecting millions of people throughout the world’s developing nations. “At Kona we realize that bikes aren’t just a means to recreate or stay in shape,” says Dan Gerhard, one of Kona’s founders. “Bikes represent freedom, a way to move affordably and efficiently between places separated by large distances. The Kona AfricaBike is all about offering that freedom to people whose lives can be dramatically improved by it.”
We really can help beyond our community!