By Ken Severson
The City of Carmel will conduct a bike donation drive from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 13 at Carmel City Hall, 1 Civic Square. Indianapolis-based Freewheelin’ Community Bikes will ensure the donations are used as part of its mission to provide safe, reliable and affordable transportation for area residents.
“Freewheelin Community Bikes is a nonprofit that uses bicycles/bicycling to help inner city youth by getting them out riding as well as teaching bicycle related skills,” said Kevin Whited, City of Carmel’s transportation development coordinator. “We thought this would be a perfect fit for Bike Carmel to partner with this nonprofit to get them the supplies they need, save bicycles from being thrown away and getting more kids on bikes.”
Bicycles or other cycling-related items or components, like spare tires or tools, can be donated to aid youth along with almost any type of bicycle, including those with multiple speeds and/or gears. Also useful are vintage steel frame bikes, comfort bikes, mountain bikes, road bikes and cruisers.
“Freewheelin’ Bikes and the City of Carmel – specifically Bike Carmel – have partnered for the past four years on this event,” said LaNisha Clark, executive director of Freewheelin’ Bikes. “During these donation days, residents are encouraged to donate their gently used bikes, accessories, tools and parts for a good cause.”
Clark said the donations are refurbished and either sold in the Freewheelin’ Bike Shop or given to Indianapolis-area students or neighbors in need of transportation. If a donation cannot be used, it will be recycled.
Clark said that at the last Carmel Donation Day in October 2022, Carmel residents donated 50 bikes. The goal this year is to collect at least 100 bikes.
Whited said the primary objective is to promote and support the mission of Freewheelin’ Community Bikes. The event also aims to educate the community on the mission of Bike Carmel, which is to promote and grow bicycle ridership for both recreation and transportation in the city and region through planning and implementing bicycle-related events and supporting bicycle usage in city policy, related projects and non-Bike Carmel events.
“We started working with Freewheelin’ to hold bicycle collections in 2020 and have done it annually except in 2023,” Whited said. “It is our goal to hold it annually, every spring.”
Clark said that Freewheelin’ also hosts donation day events in Indianapolis, including designated collection days at its shop at 3355 Central Ave.
For more, visit freewheelinbikes.org.
