30 Sep 2024 Smiles for miles
By Tammy Keith
Two Conway brothers who live in a single-parent home were walking two miles each way to school. An adult who knew their situation made a plea on Facebook for bicycles. Conway City Attorney Charles Finkenbinder saw it and reposted it, and the Conway Cycling Project answered.
A program of Conway Advocates for Bicycling (CAB), the Conway Cycling Project provides free bicycles for many nonprofit organizations in the community, as well as directly to children and adults, primarily in Faulkner County. It was formerly known as Bike Share and Repair, which was geared more toward helping existing cyclists with repairs.
CAB’s Conway Cycling Project held a grand opening in August for its new headquarters, 1820 Old Morrilton Highway.
Ron King of Little Rock, director of the Project, said, “The city has been so generous in letting us lease that building.” Now the program has space for an inventory of donated bicycles to refurbish, and it also accepts new ones. At its grand opening, it had an inventory of about 100 bicycles. Free helmets also are available.
“Any kid who comes in walks out with a bicycle,” King said. “If they’re over 16, we ask that they work for three hours, and they have a bike. It gives them a little skin in the game.”
Volunteers can empty trash cans, sweep the floors or wash bicycles, for example.
Finkenbinder went to the facility to see what they had for the brothers in need. The bicycles the brothers received were donated by the Conway Police Department from its cycling patrol. The 26-inch bikes were the perfect size for the teenage boys.
A woman, who wants to remain anonymous, said she saw the older brother receive his. He was all smiles. “He rode it up and down the street until he got the gears shifted how he liked, and he thanked me several times,” she said.
“They were really nice bikes,” Finkenbinder said. He made a donation for them. “They (Conway Cycling Project) can use the money. The bikes are worth more than I paid.”
The new headquarters is open from noon until 3 every Monday and Wednesday and every other Saturday. King said they would like to have more volunteers to operate the facility later hours during the week. The program also assists people with basic bicycle repair and maintenance.
Bicycles “in any condition” are accepted. “There’s a part on that bike we can use,” King said. “If you know of a bike that’s not being used, bring it to us; we want it. We get some nice bicycles donated that we take contributions for, just to have a little cash to pay the light bill.”
Getting a bicycle is a rite of passage for most kids, but not every parent can afford to buy one, King pointed out.
“A lot of families who have three, four kids, they can’t do that. That’s a month’s worth of groceries. If it was just the lack of opportunity to have a bicycle to ride, we’re going to fill that need,” he said. “Anything that can get kids out of the house … is beneficial. You would be surprised at the number of kids who don’t know how to ride a bike. Typically, kids that age don’t ride a bike because they don’t have the opportunity. With the way Conway is going with all the trails and everything, they’re making it so attractive to get out and exercise that way.”
Conway is designated as a silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community. CAB, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded in 2009. Its mission includes encouraging the development and use of bike paths, routes, lanes and trails for bicycling, providing educational information for bicyclists and motorists, defending the rights of bicyclists and providing bicycle-safety training.
Bicycles in any condition may be dropped off at the facility. More information is available on the Conway Cycling Project’s Facebook page or by emailing [email protected].
King said there’s no reason any child or adult who wants a bicycle shouldn’t have one. “If you know someone who needs a bike, send them our way,” he said.
