Volunteers rehab old bikes, give them to needy
| By Blythe Wachter |
| |
Tammy Anderson normally takes the bus to get around Eau Claire, but she got a "new" set of wheels Saturday. Anderson and daughters Makaylah and Paula spent the afternoon in the dimly lit basement of Building 17 at Banbury Place, fixing up bicycles with the help of volunteers, using salvaged tires, chains, handlebars and other parts. "We walked here," Anderson said. "We'll ride (the bikes) home." An informal, volunteer-driven group known as the Greasy Fixins Bike Harvesters keeps this bicycle project spinning along. The project is designed to give bicycles to people who can't afford them, educate about bikes and keep broken-down two-wheelers out of landfills, said Zac Barnes, 23, and Kyle Zander, 24, UW-Eau Claire graduates who are part of the group. It started two years ago as an AmeriCorps VISTA project. Both men are volunteers with the anti-poverty national service program. UW-Eau Claire has donated bicycles abandoned on campus. Other bikes came from the Eau Claire County Sheriff's Department and individuals. The group has given dozens of bicycles, including some to youth organizations. More community workshops are planned. People can fix their bike or fix a donated one to take home. For the Eau Claire Community Earth Day Celebration April 25 at Owen Park, the group plans to have a bike auction/adoption and provide a bike valet and minor tuneups. Tyler Mickelson of Eau Claire worked on his bike Saturday, adjusting the brakes. He had a lot of work to do, including overhauling the gear shift. But he said, "If anyone can take home a bike for a little elbow grease ... it's a wonderful thing." http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-news_local.asp?id=BJF5DE10IU9 |
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