Seventeen Ehattesaht children were the lucky recipients of new-to-them bicycles thanks to a program based in Nanaimo called Bikes for Kids.
Greg Nowik is a mortgage broker and owner of Nowik Mortgage Team for more than 30 years. When he moved to Nanaimo with his family in 1998, he saw that his new home had a strong sense of community and volunteerism, so he decided to do the same. That is when the Nanaimo branch of Bikes for Kids opened its doors.
“In Conjunction with the RCMP and our mortgage team we came up with this fantastic way of giving back to our community,” Nowik states on his Bikes for Kids website. “We have partnered with the RCMP to acquire bicycles, get them all serviced, and out to children in our community who could really use them.”
Bikes for Kids relies on partnerships and a small army of volunteers that have given away 3,800 bicycles to children in need on Vancouver Island in the past eight years.
Some of the used bicycles are donated by the RCMP and some are donated by people no longer needing them at a recycling facility in Nanaimo. From there, a team of volunteers refurbishes each bicycle, making it ready to use by a grateful child somewhere on the Island.
The partnership with the RCMP also connects Bikes for Kids with the school districts up and down the Island, and that is were they receive information about which areas could use bicycles.
In early April, 17 bicycles were donated to Ehattesaht children living in Zeballos. According to Nowik, children in Kyuquot also received bicycles another year. Nowik likes to go fishing in Kyuquot and that is how he heard of the tiny, remote village.
Bikes for Kids also partners with Canadian Tire, where bicycle parts and supplies are purchased at a discount. Nowik says that sometimes they receive high-end bicycles that, once refurbished, can be sold. Profits from these sales allow the organization to purchase new children’s bikes from Canadian Tire at a discounted price.
After giving away hundreds of bikes in the Nanaimo area, Bikes for Kids expanded their gifting area and have donated bikes to First Nations school children in communities north of Campbell River. In early April 35 bikes were delivered by volunteers to Zeballos. Seventeen of those bikes went to Ehattesaht children.
Bikes for Kids also has the support of the Nanaimo Brain Injury Society for donated helmets.
If you have a bicycle to give, DBL Disposal Services at 333 10th Avenue in Nanaimo takes donations from 9-5, Monday to Friday.
