A Knack For Giving - Good News Story for the Day.

[fishnsled]

Well a lot of people on this board have done a lot of good things over the years. This morning I came upon this article on Facebook from the Tribune and thought that it should be shared with our community here. You've got a heart of gold Randy, good on ya!!! The world could use more people like you.

 

http://www.westnipissing.com/A_knack_for_giving.html

Edited October 19, 2014 by fishnsled

[fishnsled]

By Allison Roy

Tribune

It’s been quite the ride for Randy Kirkwood after he began project FreeCycle in September 2012, repairing and giving out hundreds of bikes to those in need in the community.

“I always saw kids walking home from school beside a person who was riding a bike really slowly, and I told myself ‘well that kid needs a bike’,” he recalls.

He quickly followed up the thought with action, and put out a call for used bikes on Facebook, not really knowing what to expect. Within a week, he received about 25 bikes! Some were in good shape, some not, so he worked to fix them all up like new, and gave them all away.

“The following year I asked on Facebook again, in 2013, in the Spring. I must have gotten maybe 120 bikes that summer, and I managed to give away 103,” he recounts. “This Spring I asked for more bikes (…), I must have had 200 bikes this year, and I’m up to 144 so far [that I’ve] fixed and given away.”

Over time, word spread, and while donations grew, so did demand. People contacted him to build bikes for certain individuals who could not afford them, and many in need of a bike also contacted him through Facebook.

“It’s amazing,” he says of the response from the community, adding that the donators deserve as much thanks as he does.

westnipissing.com

Français

“Had it not been for those people, I wouldn’t have all the bikes to repair to give away, so it’s full circle.”

Kirkwood says that in the first year, volunteers from high school helped out, but those volunteers kind of fizzled out.

“This summer, most of my son’s friends had their 40 hours done and also they have a summer job, so pretty much this year I’ve done everything alone,” he shares. “Unfortunately this is my last year.”

Kirkwood explains that he does not have a garage and with the weather this year, he really got behind on orders for bikes.

“I had to pump them out either way,” he says, adding that he created a shelter in his back yard for a while. “I managed to get some bikes out that way and it also takes a lot of time. All the free time that I had, I spent on bikes and I could have been spending it at the beach with my daughter or camping or this and that.”

He admits that repairing bikes is very time consuming, adding that some bikes could take up to 3 hours to repair, and others just 10 minutes. He estimates that in total, he has volunteered about 500 hours for the project. Any funds he received went back into parts, so the reward was in helping people out

[Fisherman]

Excellent to say the least!

[spincast]

Right on.

[kickingfrog]

Nice job Randy.

[Joeytier]

Way to go Randy! Had no idea you had fixed up so many!

[Moosebunk]

You are awesome Randy!!! Seriously just pure awesome bud!

 

Had no idea about the bikes, but certainly know you're a stand-up guy.

[Rod Caster]

A true pillar of your community. Well done

[Bernie]

I see Randy's adventures on FB.
He's well respected in his community. Except by those that let there cats run free. Ha!

[Muskieman]

Eh ! Thanks guys

[wormdunker]

Good on ya Randy for helping those in need. Also thanx for the tips while I was in Sturgeon in 2012 - putting me on some honey holes during ice season.