BETHLEHEM, PA - It’s Harold Hoeschen’s first day volunteering. And at this rate, it won’t be his last.
"Maybe they could use some help. I came down, talked to Scott, and he said, you betcha" he explains, "I spoke to him on Saturday and then I came in my first day today and so I’m really glad to be here helping."
Like so many of us, Hoeschean remembers his first set of wheels.
"It was a small, red thing and it had training wheels and that kind of stuff and my father would put me at the top of a hill and run down along beside me as I was going down and I remember the first day I got my training wheels off and how many times I crashed and all but it was so much fun," the volunteer from Riegelsville tells PBS39 News Tonight reporter, K.C. Lopez, "Kids remember their first bike and i can remember a number of bikes I had as I grew up and matured and grew to bigger bikes. It’s just a lot of fun."
So when he saw an article in the local paper that this charity needed help refurbishing old bicycles into new ones so that they could be given to area children for the holidays, he jumped in to help.
"It explained that they were trying to get about 30 bikes or so ready for Christmas and for the holidays and so I felt like there weren’t a lot of days between now and the time they would need to be there," Hoeschen explains, "And they’re working hard to get a bunch of bikes for kids that might not get one otherwise."
The crew inside Bethlehem, Pennsylvania’s Coalition for Appropriate Transportation, has been busy performing bike surgery and rehabilitation on dozens of pedals, wheels and handlebars. Then giving them away for free to area families. They’re taking in up to fifty two-wheelers in just a few days, this team says they’ll put in anywhere between three and five hours on each bike they recieve; making sure they’re safe and sturdy for their next owner.
"We go over the bike, we did front and rear grease, the axles if necessary, bearings, check the crank, do the same thing if necessary, we grease it. We clean the bike, we check if there are reflectors, front a rear. We grease the stems like handlebars and seat stem," explains CAT volunteer Predo Nisic, "So the kid who is going to get it is safe. That’s the most important thing for us."
It’s a new initiative the local charity is rolling out for the first time this Christmas season. Parents are welcome to stop by, pick out a bicycle for their child and learn a thing or two about the mechanics that keep these wheels turning.
"That’s what I like to do, you know? To help people in need, " Nisic says, "It makes me feel so good. It’s not even easy to describe how I feel. I’m really more than happy. When you see the kids face, when you give him or her a bike, my heart is this big."
Executive Director, Scott Slingerland says, it’s about giving back. And a bike is the best gift for children and those in need. To Slingerland, a simple vehicle, means so much more to a child.
"For them it’s exercise, mobility, chances to connect their neighborhood and maybe what’s a little further than walking distance in a way that’s fun," Slingerland tells Lopez, "People will come and donate their old bikes when they get a new bike or for any reason they have a bike they want to donate. And they want to see it be used, you know? They want to see somebody to ride it again and to bring life back into the bike which in turn brings life back into somebody who wants to ride it!"
"Like the other day, Scott, he called the Boys & Girls Club and spoke with them to give us the names of the kids, to give us the height of the kids so we know exactly what bike to take for the Boys & Girls Club," Nisic tells PBS39, "You know, we aren’t just taking a bunch of bikes and maybe one will fit somebody. We are really trying to do our best."
Those interested in lending a helping hand, can donate their old or used bicycles, or volunteer their time; drop in workshop hours are on Thursdays, noon to 4PM and Saturdays, 11AM to 3.
"We’re not asking for any money for these bikes. We’re trying to get--to help people to ride who might otherwise have a barrier of financial difficulty," explains Slingerland, "We offer a bike at no charge but we want them to ride safely and smart when they ride and understand a little bit how to take care of the bike so we welcome families too and parents to come in and pick out a bike for their child, or children."
Got a news tip? Email K.C. at KCLopez@WLVT.org