Kids Get New Bicycles for Perfect Attendance

Oakland County, MI — Students at a Pontiac elementary school who had perfect attendance will get new bicycles under the Oakland County Sheriff’s Re-CYCLE for Kids Program.

The bicycles were donated by the underwriting team of Troy-based United Shores, which raised the money in its “Penny War” from May 5-23. Because May was National Bike Month, team members decided to support the sheriff’s charity.

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Families from Pontiac School District’s  Whitmer Human Resource Center Elementary School whose children received perfect attendance for the 2015-2016 school year will get the bikes at an event Tuesday at the sheriff’s office’s Auburn Hills Complex, 1690 Brown Road.

The  sheriff’s office is continuing to collect new, used and in-need-of-repair bicycles for the Re-CYCLE for Kids program, which was founded in April 2006 with the donation of what amounts to everything one would need to operate a bicycle shop.

Chuck Morin owned and operated a bicycle shop in Fenton called The Repair Stand, and it was always his belief that no child should go without the joy of having a bicycle. When Morin died, his family came forward with a large donation of bicycles, parts and tools from the shop and the  idea of carrying on Morin's vision was conceived.

On behalf of the Morin family, Catherine Deschaine,Morin's sister, and her husband, Mark, of Waterford, became instrumental in seeing that the Oakland County Sheriff's Office received this generous donation.

"Sheriff's Re-CYLE for Kids is a great way for the community to step up and help bring a lot of joy into a child's life," Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard said in a news release.

Sheriff’s office personnel refurbish and repair the bicycles, and then make them at no cost through such organizations as the Pontiac Point of Hope, the South Oakland Shelter, the Boys and Girls Club of SE Oakland County, Easter Seals, Michigan Inc., and the Lighthouse of Oakland County, among others.

Drop-Off Sites

• 1-800-Mini-Storage: 26660 Greenfield, Oak Park (at 11 Mile). Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. M-F and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.
• 1-800-Mini-Storage: 2477 W. Maple Rd., Troy, (east of Coolidge) drop offs welcome Mon-Fri 9:30am-6pm, Sat. 10am-5pm and Sunday 10am-4pm

Oakland County Sheriff’s Office locations (please call before dropping off your bike donation):

• Addison Twp. Substation
• Brandon Twp. Substation
• Commerce Twp. Substation
• Highland Twp. Substation
• Independence Twp. Substation
• Lyon Twp. Substation
• Oakland Twp. Substation
• Orion Township Substation
• Oxford Township Substation
• Springfield Twp. Substation
• Rochester Hills Substation

Partners

• Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Metro Detroit
• Boys and Girls Club of South Oakland County
• Easter Seals
• Lighthouse of Oakland County
• St. Michael's Church of Pontiac
• St. Vincent de Paul of Pontiac

Supporters

• KLM Bike and Fitness- Birmingham
• Cycletherapy Bicycle Sales and Service - Waterford
• Bike USA Inc. - Birmingham
• Kinetic Systems - Clarkston
• Paint Creek Bicycles - Lake Orion
• Rochester Bike Shop - Rochester
• South Lyon Cycle - South Lyon
• Law Enforcement agencies across metro-Detroit area