Pedal It Forward seeks volunteers for bicycle charity

BENTONVILLE -- Pedal It Forward NWA needs volunteers to help in various capacities so its program can grow, organizers said.

The nonprofit organization has a core group of seven members, and refurbishes used and donated bikes to give to children and their family who could use them this summer.

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For more information about Pedal It Forward NWA and its activities, visit its Facebook page by searching Pedal It Forward NWA.

There will be an open house from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the group's warehouse at 3902 Wishing Spring Drive.

It's an opportunity for people to get a sense of the organization, what it's trying to do and how they can get involved, said Elaine McCool, board member.

The organization formed last fall and gave away 106 bikes through January, McCool said. Most were given before Christmas.

"The long-term goal is to be working with organizations who know the kids and families in need," she said.

Pedal It Forward NWA has partnerships with Oakdale Middle School in Rogers and the Boys & Girls Club of Benton County.

The school started a program called Momentum where students can do community service to earn a bikes for themselves and family members, McCool said. There will be a "bike reveal" during one of the last days of school where the bikes are presented to those who earned them. McCool expects more than 70 bikes to be given to that program this year.

The Boys & Girls Club will identify children in need of a bike and also use some for their summer camps, McCool said.

"It's not our goal to be the people who find and qualify the kids," she said. "We really want to work with organizations. They can identify the families and kids who could really benefit from having bikes, and we just really get them safe bikes with helmets."

Pedal It Forward NWA needs help to meet the demands of those growing partnerships.

Organizers are careful to make sure the growth is "chartered and deliberate" so they don't take on more than what those involved can handle, said Cne Breaux, member.

Other similar organizations around the country also offer bike safety programs, group rides and earn-a-bike programs, said David Tovey, member.

"What we're concentrating on right now is getting bikes in and getting bikes out," he said. "To do that means that we have to concentrate on the whole delivery work process here."

Volunteers are needed to help with bike repairs, to wash bikes, transport bikes from collection locations to the warehouse and from the warehouse to the recipients, take inventory as bikes come in, as well as various other tasks.

There's need to build a storage system as the warehouse is getting full, so carpentry skills would be helpful, Tovey said.

Monday night's open house will be casual and provide an orientation for those interested in the organization, said Justin Tubb, president.

Pedal It Forward NWA's work in its early stages has been encouraging as partnerships and relationships have been made, Tubb said.

"It's been a lot of fun," he said. "It's been a crazy ride. It's getting better and better."

NW News on 04/25/2015

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