Pedal power prompts Fort Mill church youth group to pay it forward

A bike can change a life, but not if it’s just taking up space in the garage or the backyard. One local church is doing something about that.

Bikes for the World, a world-wide organization that recycles and redistributes bicycles and their components, will team up with the Philadelphia United Methodist Church Youth Group to hold a one-day collection of used bicycles at the church from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday.

Fort Mill high school senior Dori Bullard admits to not riding her bike since she got her driver’s license. But her father reminded her that the bike’s just sitting under the house. Now, it’s got a new purpose. Not to mention that a donated bike is also one less bike that ends up in a local landfill.

“It’s so cool that it can be recycled and used to help someone have a better life,” Bullard explained. Active in the church’s youth group since sixth grade, she’s participated in a lot of fundraisers in an effort to pay it forward. PUMC Youth have raised more than $2,000 toward this effort.

“Donating a used bicycle can have a profound impact,” said cycling enthusiast Keith Oberg, Director of Bikes for the World, the non-profit organization reputed for shipping high-quality used bicycles to reputable non-profit partners in Central America, Africa, Asia and the Caribbean Basin.

“In the U.S., most people view their bikes as recreational. In developing countries and rural areas, bikes mean mobility, and that is a powerful gift.”

The non-profit partners on the receiving end of these donations train and employ local workers to recondition the bikes. Some of these organizations sell donated bikes at modest prices, to support their employment, training, and other community service activities. Others donate bikes to people in exchange for volunteer work or to qualifying students who live at a distance from school. Beneficiaries include low-income farmers, small-business people, and students, as well as community health, literacy, and agricultural extension workers.

“This is a response to our Bishop’s appeal to support this organization at the annual South Carolina conference of the United Methodist Church,” explained Youth Coordinator Margie Ligon. She’s optimistic and would like to see 300 bicycles collected.

“It’s phenomenal to see what these bicycles can be used for,” Ligon said.

Church member and conference attendee Jim Price agrees and reached out to Huffy Bicycles, which partners with the non-profit by selling new bikes for donation at a steep discount.

As a 6-year-old kid with a new bike himself, Price, now in his 60s, said he remembers the feeling he got when he gave that bike, earned old-school style with S & H Green Stamps, to a kid less fortunate.

“It just touched my heart. A lot of folks want to contribute to this effort but don’t have bikes to donate. But there’s lots of way to help with this.”

Can’t make it to the church on that day? No worries. The church will accept the donations any day this week. Adult bikes, kid’s bikes, mountain bikes, cruisers, racers – any serviceable bicycle will do. Hot Wheels, plastic pedal pushers and rusty critters? No thank you. But flat tires, missing seats, road weary old-timers and tandem dandies? Absolutely. They’ll find a new purpose.

Because a bike can change a life.

This story was originally published March 31, 2017 at 6:23 PM with the headline "Pedal power prompts Fort Mill church youth group to pay it forward."