“Bikes for Homeless Vets” to hold Veterans’ Day bicycle donation drive
For release: Nov. 4, 2011
Contacts:
|
Bikes for Homeless Veterans
|
| ITEMS NEEDED |
DROP-OFF LOCATIONS (2-7pm)
|
- New or used bicycles
- Cycling accessories
(helmets, lights, locks, water bottles, etc.)
-
Monetary donations
-
Volunteers (repairs, training, etc.)
|
VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA
525 W 2nd Ave (2nd & Howard)
509.624.2378
TWO WHEEL TRANSIT
1405 W 1st Ave (1st & Cedar)
509.747.2231 |
Spokane, Wash.—“Bikes for Homeless Vets” will hold a bicycle donation drive on Veterans Day, which falls this year on 11/11/11. Donations of new or used bicycles and accessories can be brought to one of two locations in downtown Spokane between the hours of 2 and 7 p.m.:
Volunteers of America at 525 W 2nd Ave (2nd & Howard) and
Two Wheel Transit at 1405 W 1st Ave (1st & Cedar). The group hopes to gather 100 bikes that can be repaired and distributed to homeless or recently homeless veterans in our area.
Bikes for Homeless Vets is a new program of Volunteers of America of Eastern Washington & Northern Idaho, created by veterans living in Volunteers of America’s
transitional housing for veterans program to serve other local veterans. Donated bikes will be repaired as needed by veterans and then given to formerly and currently homeless veterans who are receiving services somewhere in Spokane.
A bike can be a life-changing gift for a homeless veteran. Due to the high amount of poverty, DUI’s, and the simple expense of maintaining and running a vehicle, many veterans go without reliable transportation they need to get to medical and mental-health appointments, employment and social services. The goal of each bike is to assist a veteran in becoming more independent. Bikes provide access to some of the most beautiful areas in our region. Regular exercise also helps veterans to reduce the symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD.
Each Friday, veterans from
Rest & Recoup and
Eagles Rest transitional houses, as well as several men who have graduated from the program meet to discuss ways to gather bikes, criteria for distributing the bikes and how they will meet their goal of distributing 100 bikes over the next year. Not only have all eleven men currently in the program committed to help transport, repair and distribute the bikes, they plan to turn the garage at the
Rest & Recoup house into a bike repair shop. One man has even volunteered his welding skills.
“When you are on a bike, no one knows if you’re homeless, if you have PTSD or struggle with sobriety,” says Jon Carollo, director of Volunteers of America’s
veterans programs. “When the guys take their bikes out together, they are just vets riding with other vets.”
Additional information about Volunteers of America and our services for veterans can be found at
www.voaspokane.org/veterans.
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