Watch out Portland, there are a few hundred new bike riders in town!
The 19th annual Holiday Bike Drive took place over the weekend and the Community Cycling Center provided 300 bicycles to children from throughout the region. The kids are referred to the event by the CCC’s social service partners. They also got free helmets and lots of advice and training on how to ride safely.
It’s quite an undertaking to make this event happen smoothly every year, but the CCC has it down to a science. Of course it doesn’t heart to have a big crew of dedicated volunteers. Among the folks who showed up to lend their support yesterday were Portland Mayor Charlie Hales and U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer.
But this event is really about the kids. Their smiles and their first few pedal strokes on their new (to them) bikes always steal the show. Scroll down for photos from the event and try not to crack a smile yourself…
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Special thanks to volunteer photographers Greg Lee, Rohith Gunawardena, and Mario Segura.
Thanks for reading.
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Love those smiling faces. I know just how they feel!
You forgot the most important part. A $50 donation will sponsor 1 kid getting a bike in 2015 🙂 (or donate whatever you can afford…or volunteer!)
https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/532746
That kidlet on the tricycle in your article… had the BIGGEST GRIN ever when he first got on that bike. Seriously – that would have been the pic of the year. He even figured out how to make the bike go backwards and forwards before anyone showed him how. That was like the best part of my morning right there… 🙂