Bikes for the World is teaming up with Long & Foster Bethesda to hold a one-day collection of used bicycles at their office located at 7700 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda, on Saturday, April 6, 2019, from 9:00 AM-Noon.
The donated bikes will be distributed overseas where they will be reconditioned and reused to improve the lives of impoverished people by helping them get to work, school, and health services.
“Donating a used bicycle can have a profound impact,” said Taylor Jones, an Executive Director of Bikes for the World. “In the United States, most Americans view their bikes as recreational. In developing countries and rural areas, bikes mean mobility, and that is a powerful gift.”
"My colleagues and I are very excited to collect used bikes for a great cause," said Valerie Greene, a realtor with Long & Foster. "My son and I recently volunteered at Bikes for the World to help process bikes for shipment overseas. We had a great time, and it felt good to know that these bikes could help change someone's life."
The mid-Atlantic organization of Bikes for the World has quietly become the largest program of its type in the U.S. Collections have been held from North Carolina to New York to collect, prep, and ship thousands of bikes annually. Bikes for the World has developed a reputation for shipping high-quality used bicycles to reputable non-profit partners in Central America, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean Basin. These non-profit partners train and employ local workers to recondition the bikes. Some of these organizations sell donated bikes at modest prices to support their employment, training, and other community service activities.
Others donate bikes to people in exchange for volunteer work or to qualifying students who live at a distance from school. Beneficiaries include low-income farmers, small-business people, and students, as well as community health, literacy, and agricultural extension workers.
About Bikes for the World
Bikes for the World "re-cycles" used bikes to transform lives. We work with volunteers, community groups and businesses to collect, "prep", and donate bikes to non-profit partners around the world. These partners refurbish and channel the bikes to people who rely on them: for health workers to reach patients, students to get to school and workers to get to work.
Bikes for the World is a community of people helping people. Our vision is to achieve an ever-larger impact here and abroad by reducing waste and helping the poor earn more, learn more, and live more healthy lives. Bikes for the World donated its 100,000th bike in November 2014. Bikes for the World is an independent,qualified 501(c)3 non-profit. For more information, visit www.bikesfortheworld.org or call 703.740.7856.
