200,000 Bikes Donated

Bikes for the World donates bike number 200,000! The highly anticipated day finally arrived. Last month, alongside some very important members of the Bikes for the World family, we hoisted the 200,000th bike donated into a container heading to MiBici Costa Rica. We expected this to happen this fall, but to have it occur before the end of summer was phenomenal! As we turn the page on our 20th year this year, this means our boastful average of 10,000 bikes a year is INCREASING.

On August 24th at what we like to refer to as BfW World Headquarters, a team of women prepped, rolled, lifted, and placed the Cannondale road bike that now holds the distinction of being our 200k bike. This all came together rather naturally as the Cumberland area Bikes for the World team (mostly from the Western Maryland Wheelmen cycling club) expressed an interest in loading a container. This particular shipment was going to fall on a weekend, exactly what they were looking for in order to make the long drive. 

We invited a few other collection managers who have been with us throughout our 20 years, some veteran volunteers along with some new, and even a student turned teacher mentor from the Social Action crew at Stone Ridge. There were a bunch of guys there too, from our oldest to our youngest volunteer, but they all stepped aside when it came time to load the 200,000th bike. 

Taylor noted that when our bikes are donated overseas they tend to have the greatest impact on women. The bike project becomes a tool of empowerment for women of every age. Bikes give young girls the opportunity to stay in school and better their career options after graduation. They help provide better healthcare during and after pregnancies. Learning bike mechanics even gives women the choice to start and build their own businesses. 

It made sense to use our strong women who help make BfW a lasting and impactful organization, to celebrate this milestone and highlight how uplifting a bike is uplifting women around the world. Yvette gave the following speech highlighting the impact bikes have on young women

Around the world women do not have the same freedoms, choices, or opportunities which impacts their lives and their families' lives. Young girls may be forced to drop out of school, stay home to care for their siblings or forced to start families of their own before they are ready.They are robbed of their education, their hopes, their dreams, their futures.

The bikes that we donate to our partner organizations around the world often focus on empowering and uplifting these women specifically. Because they know and we know- women get S%!* done!

We see it in rural societies and we see it here in our warehouse too. From the Daisy Troops and the moms to the very capable Social Action crew from Stone Ridge School- Our women are mentoring the next generation of volunteers. They are inspiring and leading. They are listening, asking, learning, and teaching. We are helping each other to help others and together- we will get Stuff done!

Yvette Hess, Outreach Coordinator BfW

The women of Bikes for the World on hand for the turn over of the 200k bike:

Linda Hansen of St. Mary of Sorrows
Cindy Brown of Otterbein United Methodist Church
Valerie Van Hollen Western Maryland Wheelmen
Kate Kidwell Western Maryland Wheelmen
Pamela McCormick Western Maryland Wheelmen
J Long of Stone Ridge Social Action (previously)
Carol Goodloe collection and loading volunteer since 2005
Karen Hendrixson Board Chair of BfW
Yvette Hess BfW

The bike was compacted by new volunteer Anna Doyle, our featured volunteer of the month.

Click here to see a photo album of the event.