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Community effort sees eight children receive refurbished bikes, new helmets

May 5, 2018 | 5:03 PM

Natasha Thomson scratches away at weathered handlebars with a wire brush to reveal like-new silver.

Around her are seven other bicycles ranging in colour and size. Two rest on a blue tarp nearby where a man shows two young children how to tighten a chain, check tire pressure and explains the age-old adage of “righty tightey, lefty loosey,” as he instructs the boys on how to spin a wrench to lower the seat.

This was all part of a community-wide initiative spearheaded by Prince Albert’s relatively new Repair Café to help refurbish and donate a handful of bicycles to eight children in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Prince Albert program.

The lightly used bikes were originally destined to hit the city auction yards but generously donated by the City and police department. The minor repairs — ranging from brake lines to flat tires — were being completed Saturday by volunteers at the monthly event at the Margo Fournier Centre. The parts needed to fix the bicycles were donated by Gene’s Sports.

Thomson, the development coordinator for BBBS Prince Albert, said the small partnership will bring big excitement to the kids.

“This means that this summer they can get out and enjoy everything that the city has to offer,” she said. “These are families where the children just didn’t have bikes.”

 

Two of the lucky children who received bicycles were Chennaya and Sienna Mosquito. The nine- and ten-year-old girls were overjoyed to have a new set of wheels.

“Excited,” Sienna simply said. Chennaya echoed this saying she enjoyed “everything” about riding bikes.

Before the two girls rode off, they were outfitted with new helmets from the Prince Albert Royal Purple to help keep them safe when out and about. The helmets were painted like the outside of a watermelon, coming, of course, thanks to a partnership with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Saskatchewan Brain Injury Association.

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr