From closest, siblings Sanoussi, 9, Maha, 7, and Izza Amine, 4, along with Zakaria Amine and Amne Mahamat, receive their new refurbished bicycles from the Rotary Club of Medicine Hat on Tuesday.--NEWS PHOTO ALEX MCCUAIG
A program to provide cycling opportunities to Hatters is rolling forward after being launched last fall.
The joint venture between the Rotary Club of Medicine Hat and city police is designed to utilize recovered bicycles that would usually go to auction and instead refurbish and provide them to individuals in need of inexpensive transportation.
Rotary Club member Peter Mueller says the project has been successful so far in providing rides from the initial 50 bicycles they had to work with. The Salvation Army, Big Brothers and Sisters, McCoy High School and the Medicine Hat College have all received rides for clients and students.
Now the club is looking for additional bikes and volunteers to help repair them.
“It’s a service initiative on the verge of growing beyond our capacity right now,” said Mueller.
He says some of the challenges found with some of the donated bicycles make them unridable or unsafe and they plan to collect fewer of them to ensure they can be passed on.
“We now know from several months of experience that we don’t want near-death bikes anymore,” said Mueller.
He added he hopes to partner with the city’s cycling advocacy group, Bike Medicine Hat, as well as develop a bicycle lending program with the city library.
Those interested in contributing can contact Peter Mueller at 403-502-9609.
