Boston Gives Away 100 Free Bicycle To Kids

Got this in the email today, Roll if forward is a great program, and just had an awesome event.

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Many children in the South End/Roxbury will have extra wide smiles today and next week as Mayor Menino’s Boston Bikes
and International Bicycle Centers partner with the Boston Housing Authority and Madison Park Development Corporation to give away nearly 100 bicycles.

All children ages 4-7 at the Lenox/Camden Housing Development have been invited to attend a bike giveaway today, where they will receive a helmet and bicycle, as well as participate in a bike rodeo to learn safe bike handling skills. Next week, children at the Madison Park Development will do the same.

“It’s important that children from all neighborhoods can benefit from our city bicycling programs,” said Mayor Menino. “Biking is a great way for children to stay healthy and have fun, and Roll It Forward makes that possible.”

The Roll it Forward program, an initiative of Mayor Menino’s Boston Bikes, was started in collaboration with the Boston Public Health Commission in 2010 with the goal of distributing 1,000 bicycles to low-income Boston residents in order to make cycling a more accessible transportation option and promote a healthy lifestyle. To date, the program has distributed over 1,400 bicycles to children, teens, adults, and seniors across all Boston neighborhoods.

“The BHA is excited to receive more bicycles through Roll It Forward,” said BHA Administrator Bill McGonagle. “The City has taken the initiative to teach low-income children the many positive outcomes of cycling.”

Roll it Forward collects used bicycles of all sizes through designated drop off centers in Greater Boston and in partnership with area bike shops. Mechanics refurbish the bikes to ensure they are in good working order. Bikes are then distributed in partnership with organizations such as the Boston Housing Authority, Artists for Humanity, Franklin Park Coalition, LIFT Boston, Boston Public  Schools, and area health centers – to name only a few. Each recipient receives a bike, helmet, and lock and participates in a safety workshop.  International Bicycle Centers has been a longtime supporter and partner of Mayor Menino’s Boston Bikes, recently donating 107 bicycles, bringing the total donated by International Bicycle Center to nearly 800 bicycles over the last two years.

“Our goal is to increase access to bikes by supporting Boston Bikes through donation bikes received as part of our youth bike trade up program,” says Harold Knochin, owner of International Bicycle Centers. Anyone with a bicycle they no longer need can drop it off at one of many locations and be eligible to receive a free t-shirt or jersey. Learn more at www.bostonbikes.org.

About Boston Bikes
Boston Bikes is part of Mayor Menino’s vision for a vibrant and healthy city that benefits all its citizens. It seeks to make Boston a world-class bicycling city by creating safe and inviting conditions for all residents and visitors. Formed in September 2007, Boston Bikes focuses on improvements in all five universal bike planning areas, including Engineering, Enforcement, Education, Encouragement and Evaluation. For more information on Boston Bikes, please visit www.bostonbikes.org.

About International Bicycle Centers
International Bicycle Centers has two locations, on Brighton Ave in Allston and Needham St in Newton. They are a full-service bicycle shop that provides bikes and equipment for commuting, mountain biking, touring and road racing. IBC is committed to fostering the Boston-area cycling community, providing extensive resources on their website for cyclists of all stripes and providing technical and in-kind support to Boston Bikes and other community organizations.

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