Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison (FB4K) will collect gently used bikes on Saturday, January 13, 2018, as the first phase of a series of “Mad About Bikes” grants from Madison Community Foundation. The bikes will be donated to 1,000 area youth later this spring.
Area residents can donate gently used bikes at the following SSM Health Dean Medical Group locations from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
East – 1821 S. Stoughton Rd., Madison
West – 752 N High Point Rd., Madison
Fish Hatchery – 1313 Fish Hatchery Rd., Madison
Oregon – 753 N. Main St. Oregon
Waunakee – 1300 S. Century Ave., Waunakee
Sun Prairie – 10 Tower Dr., Sun Prairie
SSM Wisconsin Regional Office – 1818 W. Beltline Hwy., Madison
Volunteer cleaners, preppers and mechanics will refurbish the bikes to make them safe and reliable, and then give them away through a network of area community organizations on Saturday, March 24. Individuals and groups can sign up to volunteer at fb4kmadison.org.
“Free Bikes 4 Kidz believes that every kid that wants a bike, can have a bike,” said FB4K Madison Executive Director Andy Quandt. “So many of us have bicycles in our garages collecting dust while others simply want so many of us need a safe bike to ride. The FB4K program creates a workspace for community volunteers to come together to refurbish these bikes to give back to our kids a few months later. It all starts by collecting as many bikes as we possibly can in one location. It’s really amazing to watch how one dusty old bike, with a little bit of love, can easily turn into a smile and even change a life.”
“Mad About Bikes will provide access for all riders, regardless of economic status, and help them take advantage of Madison’s Platinum-level status as a Bicycle Friendly Community,” said Tom Linfield, Madison Community Foundation Vice President of Community Impact. “Donating a bike on January 13 or volunteering to refurbish and give away the bikes are easy and wonderful ways to give back to our community.”
Mad About Bikes is the eighth of twelve major grants from Madison Community Foundation’s 75th Anniversary Year of Giving. Madison Community Foundation awarded $25,000 to Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison for the 1,000-bicycle giveaway and $59,200 to Wisconsin Bike Fed to fund new public fix-it stations, multiple bike repair internships for community youth, starter bicycles for beginning riders, and safety education and repair training for riders of all ages.
