8/15-8/20: Donate Old Bikes and Parts – Bicycles for Refugees Program

Wheels Week is your opportunity to get involved. Local bike shops will be accepting donations of bicycles and bike parts the week of August 15th – 20th, or you can make a tax deductible monetary donation to SVBC to support the Bikes for Refugees program.

Get that dusty bike out of your garage! Put that long-forgotten bike in your basement to good use! During the week of August 15th – 20th, you can drop off your bike and bike parts donations at the following bike shops in the Harrisonburg area during regular business hours:

• Bluestone Bike & Run – 1570 S. Main Street, Harrisonburg
• Mole Hill Bikes – 440 Main Street, Dayton
• Rocktown Bicycles – 50 S. Mason Street, Harrisonburg
• Shenandoah Bicycle Company – 135 S. Main Street, Harrisonburg

Questions? Contact Us:

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More about the Bicycles for Refugee Program: The Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) is helping local refugees with bicycles for transportation.

Watch the WHSV TV3 Piece on the program

Listen to the WMRA radio piece on the program

This initiative began in November 2015 when a group of refugees in Harrisonburg identified transportation as a major challenge. For many refugees, bicycling is the most efficient and reliable transportation available. Since the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition aims to foster all forms of cycling including for transportation, this partnership is a natural fit.

Are you interested in donating? The SVBC takes earmarked donations specifically for purchasing bicycles for refugees. We are a 501(c)3 and can provide you with a tax receipt for your donation. We always need donations to purchase bicycles and gear for refugees.

How the program works:
Church World Service Immigration & Refugee Program (http://cwsharrisonburg.org) works with new refugee families and signs up individuals interested in bicycling as transportation. Those individuals then attend a class taught by SVBC members where they learn basic bike skills, safety skills and bicycle related laws. At the end of the 2-hour class, refugees get to take home their bicycle, helmet, bike lock, and bike pump. If they want any additional help or teaching in the following weeks or months, we are happy to schedule additional one-on-one classes with them.

We currently provide interested refugees with: Reliable bicycles, helmets, Bike locks, Bike pumps, Basic rules-of-the-road classYour donation is appreciated, and 100% goes towards Bicycles for Refugees. You can donate online via credit card or Paypal, or you can mail us a check to:

Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition
PO Box 1014
Harrisonburg, VA  2280

• For $10, you can sponsor a bike lock
• For $20, you can sponsor a floor pump for a refugee family
• For $175, you can sponsor a used, reliable bik
• For $220, you can sponsor a brand new bicycle
• For $250, you can sponsor an entire bike + lock + pump package for a refugee
• (Helmets are obtained free through Safe Routes to School)

Are you interesting in volunteering?

• Do you have an old bicycle to donate? We will gladly accept bicycle donations that are in decent shape and can be reliably used for daily commuting.
• If you speak a foreign language, we would love your help teaching classes. The language barrier is one of our biggest challenges.
• If you have a background in bicycle repair, you can volunteer to help build bicycles when new shipments come in.
• Are you a cyclist? You can help teach hands-on bicycle classes with our refugees. If you would like to teach but need some instruction to feel comfortable teaching new riders, the club sponsors teach-the-teacher classes for volunteers; just ask.
• Do you have a car that can fit bicycles? We need help shuttling bicycles around town for pickup, repair, or donation to refugee families.
• If you are a part of a local organization with interest in the program, we love partnerships of all kinds and would be happy to make a presentation to your group or organization.