This year’s Rotary theme of “Rotary Opens Opportunities” is a perfect backdrop for a serendipitous conversation that has turned into a fun project for the Rotary Club of Buffalo Sunrise. Recently, President Denis Lefebvre started chatting with member Dr. Craig Crookston, a fellow bike enthusiast, about extra bikes he had in his garage. Craig enlisted the assistance of his son, Andrew - pictured below. The call went out to club members and Andrew contacted a neighborhood social media group. The result in two weeks is the gathering of 41 bikes, some barely used, 3 scooters, and a bike trailer with more coming in each day. Denis is an expert bike restore, although many of the bikes collected are in tip-top shape. Andrew is working on service hours towards his congressional youth award. The first recipient of a newly repaired bicycle is Ngabo Gasore (pictured with President Denis below), thanks to member Rubens Mukunzi. Ngabo is a refugee from Congo, who now has transportation to his workplace. Following the initial gathering of bikes, scooters, and a bike trailer, Buffalo Sunrise Rotary Cub were able to procure, repair (through a scheduled workday in Fall 2020) and distribute approximately 150 bikes. The rehabilitated bikes were distributed to such organizations such as Go Bike Buffalo, Journey End and Jericho Road Refugee Center, and St. John Kanty’s Youth Program, as well as approximately 12 individuals in need. The hope is to provide transportation for adults, along with helmets and bike locks and bikes for children for their exercise and entertainment – all with the goal of helping to create a healthier, happier community. This program has been widely successful. We are always looking for more bicycles, so if you have any that you are wondering what to do with, consider donating them to our club, where we will make sure they end up in the hands of someone who could really use them! |
