For the second year in a row, Velo Girls (and some of our favorite Velo Boys), joined other northern California cycling clubs and corporations to help build bikes for at-need children. The Turning Wheels for Kids Bike Build has become a fun holiday tradition for us.
The Velo Girls volunteer crew at Turning Wheels for Kids | See more photos
Each year, Turning Wheels for Kids receives donations to purchase bikes for various groups of at-need children. Last year was the third year of this program and they delivered 1,000 bikes to children. This year, they outdid themselves again, providing 1,800 bikes!!!
When we arrived, the San Jose Convention Center Annex was empty, with the exception of a registration table and a small stage, festooned with a Christmas tree and some decorations. But that quickly changed, as 100s of volunteers arrived and began setting up their work spaces. Some groups had more mechanical experience than others, but all were able to participate in a variety of jobs.
Just outside the hall, there were a dozen trucks parked, filled to the brim with boxed bikes. All hands were called on deck and the boxes were organized and stacked inside the hall.
Bikes ranged from tiny little 12" bikes for young children to full-on mountain bikes with gears and brakes. Most of our team started out with the smaller children's bikes and worked our way up to building the more complex bikes. Between our 13 volunteers, I think we built a total of about 80 bikes in about 3 hours.
The highlight of the morning for me was being asked to present a bike to one of the recipient children. Daniel is seven years old and he's never had a bike of his own, but he learned how to ride on one of his neighbor's bikes. When he was called up to the stage, he had no idea he would be going home with a shiny new bike. Together, we made the long walk from one end of the hall to the other, passing rows and rows of bikes that had been built that morning. My job was to help him choose the correct size bike, and then help him fit his helmet. Daniel immediately found a shiny red and black bike that was a bit too small for him so we found the right size and he took a quick spin in the convention center hall, got his helmet and a meaty lock, and returned to his group. He was so excited - he didn't want to take his helmet off!
Kudos to Turning Wheels for Kids for providing 1,800 new bikes to local children. And thanks to all the fabulous volunteers who helped build bikes on Saturday. I can't think of a better way to spend a holiday Saturday morning!
