October 29/06 12:14 pm - Bicycles for Humanity Bike Drive

Posted by Editor on 10/29/06
 

Bicycles for Humanity Bike Drive - West Vancouver
Courtesy Philip Burgess

Just a reminder that the Bicycles for Humanity Bike Drive in West Vancouver is fast approaching. All donations of bikes and $20 or more will be entered into a draw to win a $250 gift certificate from La Bicicletta, Vancouver's premier road bike store along with other cool bike related prizes. Online donations to support shipping costs are accepted at bikes.givemeaning.com.

Students and volunteers will be collecting donations of working mountain or hybrid bikes at the Ridgeview Elementary School (13th / Mathers,West Vancouver) on Friday November 3rd (3pm-7pm) & Saturday November 4th (8 am - 4 pm) and loading them onto a 40 foot shipping container, generously donated by Delta Container Inc. with transportation arranged by American Cartage and Terminal Systems Inc and ZIM Shipping. Additional product has been generously donated by Norco Performance Bikes. Under the Bicycles for Humanity model, the container will remain in the community and become a Bicycle Empowerment Centre - a self contained bike shop where young people and women in particular can gain access to transportation - an urgent requirement for school kids in rural areas, care givers, health care workers and women who do the lions share of water collection, firewood gathering and bringing goods to market.

Through our partners in Namibia, local people are trained in bike mechanics and the Bicycle Empowerment Centre will become a source of employment and revenue within the community. More information about Bicycles for Humanity is at www.bicycles-for-humanity.org and our partners in Namibia are at www.benbikes.org.za/namibia/index.htm.

Questions? Contact Philip Burgess: philipbee@gmail.com, (604) 872 2424
Scott Slater: sslater@sd45.bc.ca, Ridgeview Elementary School. (778) 688-2449