September 9th 2010
International Bicycle Center's kids bike donation collaboration with Mayor Menino's Boston Bikes and the Boston Housing Authority was a huge success, delivering nearly fifty bikes and helmets to the children of the Alice Taylor development in Roxbury, MA.
On Thursday afternoon a basketball court bordering on the South West Corridor bike path was transformed into a bicycle-outfitting camp. First parents or guardians were asked to sign a waiver, then the kids were lined up and fitted expertly for helmets. After that they were ushered over to the bicycle fitting station, where they chose a girls or boys bike, with or without training wheels. Adjustments were made as needed and then the kids were sent off to the bicycle safety course to learn the rules of the road. At times the safety course was anything but safe, particularly when it reached a critical mass of about forty kids. But what better way to learn some cycling skills fast than by being thrust into a swirling free for all of brightly colored bikes being piloted by joyously screaming children? In the end they all came out alive and (virtually) unscathed.
Where did all these almost-new, shiny kids bikes come from? Well...
International Bicycle Center has a program in place that encourages customers to trade in their kids bikes within two years of the purchase date for a credit of up to 50% of the value toward a new kids bike. It's an incentive for people not to go buy a rickety-kid-maiming-machine from a department store. The byproduct of this program is that IBC ends up with hundreds of kids bikes to donate to kids who might not otherwise have bikes.
This program meshes nicely with Boston Bike Czar Nicole Freedman and Mayor Tom Menino's goal to get one thousand kids on bikes in the next few years. At this time there are plans for two more kids bike donation in late September and early October. That ought to put a dent in the one thousand bike goal.
Boston Bike Czar Nicole Freedman has quite the rapport with the kiddos
One of the truly great aspects of these bike donation days is that not only are kids getting bikes, they are also getting helmets. And when all of a sudden fifty kids in one neighborhood are riding around with helmets on, saying "the Mayor says I should always wear my helmet" it has an effect the way kids think about cycling. They realize: you ride a bike — you wear a helmet.
The safety course of death, why we wear helmets
This guy rides a bike like he was born on one
How can you not smile when you have pink steamers on your bike?
The process of learning how to ride a bike can be a great time for parents to bond with their kids. Last fall International did a bike donation at the Holland School in Dorchester, one little girl came back from summer vacation and told her teacher "Me and my dad rode bikes every day!"
The bike Czar tries her hand at being a helmet Czar
Crashing and laughing it off
IBC will be documenting the whole donation process during the next couple kids bike donations, stay tuned.
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