By Aimee Lee | Posted May 5, 2023
“The bikes we have in our garages, or sitting around that we are not using, can make a big impact on people’s lives in certain communities,” according to Blawenburg Church Pastor Jeff Knol.
Donated bikes allow health workers to see more clients, students to stay in school, farmers to get goods to market, and small business owners to support their families.
Blawenburg Church will hold its third annual drive to collect bicycles, spare bicycle parts, and bicycle accessories at the church parking lot (424 County Route 518, Blawenburg) on Saturday, May 6 from 9 am to 1 pm
Pastor Jeff Knol and his daughter Margot collect bikes during a previous Bikes for the World drive.
The collection will benefit Bikes for the World, a national reuse charity based in Rockville, Maryland that repairs and sends bikes to partner organizations in underprivileged communities — including regions in Appalachia, Central America, South Asia, and Africa.
Taylor Jones, executive director of Bikes for the World, says, “In 2022 we put more bikes than ever in the hands of local youth and refugees. We also helped our international partners.
“People who bike or walk live happier and healthier lives and have a greener footprint. As the groundswell of support for non-motorized transport starts to crest, we’re providing our partners the tools to capture that wave to improve lives one bike at a time.”
Leading the local drive is Pastor Jeff Knol of Blawenburg Church, assisted by church volunteers and Montgomery Scout Troop 46.
Pastor Jeff says he realized the importance of affordable and practical transportation in impoverished areas during a 2013 mission to Uganda.
Bicycling “added hours to each day” as a more efficient alternative to walking, which is common for people in rural communities without access to public transportation systems or money to afford transportation.
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Please come consider donating unused bikes and parts to the drive. It will help people in impoverish communities to travel further distances and connect vendors and buyers to markets. It also helps widen job opportunities, and increases schooling possibilities for children.
Blawenburg Church encourages a $10 donation for each bike donated to support transportation costs of the bikes to their final destinations.
“We are honored to have the opportunity to invite our neighbors and our friends and our community to try to make an impact on other’s lives,” Pastor Jeff says.
If you miss the used-bike collection at Blawenburg Church on May 6, learn more about how to support this important charity by visiting BikesForTheWorld.org.
Bikes for the World relies on a huge network of volunteers and donors. They need drivers, bike shop partners, mechanics, and people or groups who are able to organize bike collections. ■
