Give your old bike a new life

October 31st, 2012

If your old bike has been collecting dust in the basement for years, why not give it to a family in the developing world who will appreciate its true value. Sara Salcedo, a student at École Secondaire Des Sources in Dollard des Ormeaux, invites residents of Pierrefonds area to donate their used bikes during the upcoming bike drive, organized in cooperation with the Cyclo Nord-Sud on Sunday, Nov. 4 (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) at Caserne 57 (13795, Pierrefonds Blvd.) in Pierrefonds.
Bikes must be rideable or repairable and have 20” wheels or bigger. A small contribution of $15 or more per bike is requested to cover part of the cost of sending the bikes to Africa and Latin America. In exchange, you will receive a tax receipt for both the donation and the value of the bicycle. It's an ecological way to show support, and everybody wins.
Each year, over 60 bike drives all over Quebec help collect nearly 4,000 bikes. In impoverished countries, a donated bike is used on average by five to 10 people for another 20 years. It becomes a development tool that helps improve mobility as well as access to services and revenues for poor communities.
Concretely, a student can reach a school several kilometers away in one-third the time; a farmer can carry up to 100 pounds of goods to market in a single voyage; women, who are often responsible for carrying water and other heavy loads, can finish chores much more quickly and safely.
For more info, visit www.cyclonordsud.org