Roll It Forward Needs Donations

Bikes Needed!
New Drop off Locations, Rewards for Donations

Several new drop off locations have joined the Roll it Forward program, which collects, repairs, and redistributes bicycles to low-income Boston residents. New locations include Landry’s in Natick, JRA Cycles in Medford, Dedham Bike, and Seaside Cycles in Manchester-by-the-Sea. Local bike drives will also take place throughout the Spring.
Those who donate a bike are eligible to receive a free jersey/t-shirt or a (NEW!) Perfect Fuel Chocolate gift pack. Giant Cycling Word and Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) are also offering valuable coupons!

To learn more about what bikes we need, where all donation locations are,  and getting a reward, visit Roll it Forward or contact[email protected].

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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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Help Dot Bike Help Roll It Forward!

from the email, looks like a fun time.

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Dear Dot Bikers,

We have a great opportunity next Tuesday up for anyone who feels like getting their hands a bit dirty for an outstanding bike cause.  Roll it Forward (http://rollitforward.blogspot.com/) is the branch of Boston Bikes that rescues and rehabs old bikes in order to give them away to needy members of the community.  RiF gave bikes to groups in Dorchester last year and has planned three more upcoming bike giveaways for Dorchester community groups this summer.

They need some help fixing up the bikes which have been collected from donors, and Dot Bike has volunteered to round up a crew for this coming Tuesday, June 28th, starting at 6 pm.  Food, and beer from the conveniently located Harpoon Brewery, will be provided!

Even if you’re not an expert mechanic, any extra hands will be a big help–and you may even learn some new skills!  If you do have mechanical experience, even better–bring whatever basic tools you happen to have, and we’ll have some there as well.

The Roll it Forward bike warehouse is in South Boston, very near the Harpoon Brewery.

Please RSVP to [email protected] to get the exact address and so we can be sure to get enough food.  Bring your friends!  We look forward to pitching in for this great cause with you!

–Dot Bike

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Another Roll It Forward Bike Fixing Session

We have talked about Roll It Forward before (its the cities bike donation program) they are having another bike fix up session tomorrow, if you have bike fixin’ skills check it out.

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“We’re hosting another bike repair session at our warehouse this coming Saturday, April 16th, from 10AM-5.
Come get your hands dirty with us!

Please contact Thom Parsons to let him know you’re coming and for any additional info.
John Bilderbeck
Director, Community Cycling Programs
Youth Cycling Program, Roll it Forward
-Initiatives of Mayor Menino’s Boston Bikes
(617) 918-4253
[email protected]”

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Vounteers Needed For Roll It Forward Program

Got this in the email, if you can help out, this looks like a lot of fun.

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Boston Bikes’ Roll it Forward program is hosting two bike giveaways on back to back days at the end of this month. Join us on March 30th in East Boston or March 31st in South Boston, as we continue to distribute bikes to young children.

At these events we will be giving bikes to kids aged 2 to 7 years old. Volunteers will help helmet fitting, teaching kids proper signals, adjusting seatposts and handlebars to fit kids, or helping answer questions in English or Spanish. But, most importantly, you’ll be showing kids and parents how fun a bike can be! Please let us know if you can volunteer right away by emailing: [email protected].

Who: Anyone and everyone; Please invite your friends, family and co-workers. Spanish speakers especially encouraged to attend! Repeat volunteers: double your fun!

What: Boston Bikes Roll It Forward Bike Giveaway!

When: Wednesday, March 30th, 4 pm to 7:15 pm
and Thursday, March 31st, 4 pm to 7:15 pm
*Volunteers can attend one or both events*

Where: Two different locations:
Wednesday March 30th: Orient Heights, 60 Vallar Street in East Boston: Map.
Thursday, March 31st: West Broadway, at James Conlon Elementary School, 200 D St. in South Boston: Map

Why: What better way to brighten up a kid’s day than get them on a bike! Check out http://rollitforward.org to find out all the info on what the program is about, and click here to see pictures of all the fun we’ve had at our past events.

How: Please contact John Bilderbeck directly to sign up and get any further information on the events. Email: [email protected]. Phone: (617) 918-4253

Thanks so much for your help.

Amy McGuire
Volunteer Coordinator
650-922-6389

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