Announcement
Almost 50 volunteers showed up to our office on July 9th with a box-trailer filled with bicycles, helmets, bikes locks and light sets. They proceeded to unload 35 adult commuter bikes and 15 youth bikes in preparation for the Bicycle Distribution Event they had organized through our Group Bicycle Drive opportunity. In less than two weeks prior to the event, the youth group had collected and repaired all 50 bicycles.
LDS youth volunteer assists refugee child with her first bicycle in the U.S. during a recent Bicycle Distribution Event.
Photo: Kendall Banks/IRC
The LDS youth group, led by Davis Smith, CEO of Cotopaxi, prepared stations that taught refugees the basics of owning and riding a bike in Salt Lake City. Youth volunteers led each station, including basic bicycle maintenance, helmet fittings, bicycle safety and traffic laws. Each participant worked through the stations prior to heading outside to pick out their bike.
Once outside, both adult and youth participants had the opportunity to ride their new bike around a parking lot course—for some, this would be their first time riding a bicycle. The smiles of participants and volunteers alike were wide and laughter could be heard as children played on their bikes. The bicycles offered a hope for a better future: refugee adults now have a reliable form of transportation that will help them get to and from their first jobs in the U.S. You can see the excitement for yourself by watching the video produced by KUTV Channel 2.
The IRC in Salt Lake City resettles an average of 550 refugees annually. Each individual comes to the U.S. with different hopes and dreams, but most have the same basic needs, including bicycles. You can support newly arrived refugees as they work to regain control of their future by donating new or like-new bicycles. For more information about organizing your own bicycle drive, kindly contact Jesse Sheets, donations coordinator, at [email protected].