Thanks to the giving hearts of our Billings TrailNet members, 11 young students from McKinley Elementary School received refurbished bikes earlier this month.

We had the students write essays to tell us why they needed a new bike. We got answers like this:

and this…

We have been receiving donations of used bikes from members of Billings TrailNet and other members of the public, and keeping them in a storage unit.  When our storage unit out on 64th Street stopped donating their space last month, we needed to get those bikes out, renovated and given in a hurry!

Kevin Odenthal and Michael Turley fit a student to her new bike.

We contacted members Jim Downs and Steve Hudak (both of whom are on our Board of Directors), Jason Hudson, Jason Wood, Mark Sevier, Michael Turley, Steve Tobin, Dan Reiland, and Dr. Mark Nicholson, (who became a major Ales for Trails sponsor this year after this project)!  These wonderful bicyclists took bikes home, refurbished them and had them ready for the children Sept. 15!

Drew from Think First was at McKinley Elementary School on giving day to provide free helmets to the children receiving bikes.

Thank you heroes!  It was so satisfying to see the students so gratefully accepting their bicycles!  We appreciate everyone for your support; and are looking for another place to store the used bikes.  

Thanks to Ken and Sandy Kunkel, we have storage for our Ales for Trails and Tour de Fleur event items (which requires the entire unit!), but storing bikes is a whole different task!